Caprivians call for political dialogue
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Thursday April 23, 2015 18:34
On Monday the Concerned Caprivians are calling for political dialogue between Namibia and the political leadership of Caprivian refugees. This comes after Botswana and Namibia governments agreed that Botswana must return Namibian refugees by the December 31, 2015.
The Concerned Caprivians group national coordinator, Aldrin Mahulilo Haluzibi, pleaded with the tripartite, more especially the Botswana government, not to return the refugees back to the country until the Namibia has a political dialogue with leaders of Caprivian refugees who are mostly exiles of the banished United Democratic Party (UDP), which was banished by the country in 1998.
Since 1999 the governments of Botswana and Namibia and the UNHCR, has facilitated the voluntary repatriation of about 2,000 Namibians. At the moment 941 Namibians remain in Botswana.
“We fear for our refugees’ lives as most of the refugees in Botswana are from UDP and fled to Botswana seeking protection. We have proposed for dialogue with the governments but the Namibian government is refusing.
We were supposed to meet the two governments on April 17, 2015 but we were told that the meeting the government ignored our petitions,” he explained.
Haluzibi added that they did not want refugees to be returned back to Caprivi before the matters that brought them to this country could be resolved. He said taking the refugees back to Namibia would only post a threat to their lives as a bunch of the first refugees taken back to Namibia were arrested after arrival. He also expressed his displeasure with the fact that whenever the tripartite discussed issues that affected the refugees, none of them was allowed or invited to the meetings whereas the issues affected them.
“When they are busy negotiating with the Botswana government, none of the concerned Caprivians and UDP members are allowed to attended.
“Furthermore, UDP is currently banned by the Namibian government and over 70 Caprivians are currently on treason trial. The state committed itself to prove before the court that the 2 August, 1999 armed attack was planned and carried out by the UDP and its alleged military wing, Caprivi Army.
“The trial has been going on for about 16 years now,” Concerned Caprivians stated in the petition.
It further stated that the mentioned issue was deeper and complicated than the eye could see, alleging that people had been executed and buried in mass graves by the Namibian government.
“Some sustained permanent injuries while others (about 26) were poisoned and killed in Namibian prisons over that issue,” the petition read.
The petition also pointed out that it seemed that any solution, which came without concessions or tangible changes on fundamental points of contention, might not hold or be durable.
“Concerned refugees have acknowledged and suggested a political dialogue between UDP leaders and the Namibian government in order to peacefully resolve the political dispute which is keeping them in Botswana as refugees.
“All stakeholders should be cautioned against overlooking and deflating the refugees’ political opinion and suggested solutions. Mutual respect and understanding is the beginning of peace,” it emphasised.
Concerned Caprivians further added that Namibia was illegally governing Caprivi and her people. They also alleged that there were mass graves of Caprivians who were executed and buried secretly buried in 1999,.
“The UDP was banned by the same government which continues violating the human rights of Caprivians. “As a result we reject plans to implement the three UNHCR’s preferred solutions on Caprivian refugees currently hosted by Botswana in the absence of a political dialogue between the Namibian government and the political leadership of refugees to find solution to the Caprivi political dispute,’ the petition concluded.