Masire ensured Botswana and Namibia didn�t fight
Thursday, June 29, 2017
Sedudu Island (known as Kasikili Island in Namibia) is a fluvial island in Botswana, formed in the Chobe River adjacent to the border with Namibia which runs down the thalweg of the river immediately north of the island. The island was the subject of a territorial dispute between these countries, resolved by a 1999 decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which ruled in favour of Botswana. The island is approximately five square kilometres in area, with no permanent residents. For several months each year, beginning around March, the island is submerged by floods.
There was a skirmish between Namibian and Botswana soldiers on the island in 1992 which was reported in the local and international media. Namibia said the island belonged to it while Botswana argued it was hers.
With his theme of 'Delivering on Our Promise, One Step at a Time', he sought to project an image of a focused, determined leader building a new ‘Rome’. Sadly, parts of his speech were not about laying bricks, but about settling old scores.It is deeply worrying that a head of government would use such a pivotal national address to launch another bitter broadside against the media and his political detractors. His portrayal of the...