US Embassy�s Security Alert Angers Botswana
Staff Writer | Monday March 14, 2016 15:08
The American embassy warned the public to keep away from the government enclave Friday saying there was a security situation that was unfolding there. The public were warned to avoid the government enclave until further notice. The Facebook post by the US embassy in Gaborone said, “ There is currently a security situation unfolding in the Government Enclave. Local authorities are responding to the situation. Avoid the general Government Enclave area, which includes the U.S. Embassy, until further notice.”
The public notice by the American embassy would soon send shivers down the spines of many who thought there may be some military aggression at the Office of the President, or some terrorists may had started attacking the US embassy, which is also based in the government enclave.
The US embassy would an hour later use facebook again to announce, “Local authorities have informed us the security situation has normalized. Please direct any questions to government authorities”.
Government spokesperson Dr Jeff Ramsay on Sunday said there was no security situation that the public needed warning about, because if there was any, his government would have been the first to issue such a warning.
It has come to light that the serious security situation that the American embassy were warning members of the public about concerned a quarrel among diplomats of the Libyan Mision in Botswana, which was resolved internally without the use of any violent action.
“I was in the office working during that time until late in the evening, I left after 9pm, and no security alert whatsoever had been issued;”
Regarding the tension at the Libyan Mission, Dr Ramsay said he learnt about it on Friday afternoon, “But we did not consider it a general threat since it was confined to their mission”.