Struggle kids, war vets want UN money

A group of former People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) fighters have accused the United Nations (UN) of failing them as refugees and ultimately creating the struggle kid problem.
The group of former fighters, along with a group of struggle kids, yesterday marched from Brakwater and Soweto market respectively to hand over a petition to the UN.
According to the group the UN just “dumped” them and left them to fend for themselves, leaving the struggle kids destitute and without hope.
“If the people were resettled properly their children would have been staying with them. Some parents also died in exile, who do you think would have been taking care of those children? That work was supposed to be done by the UN to see who the orphans were,” said one of the group elders, Michael Matthias.
The group demand that the UN explain why it allegedly failed to officially repatriate and rehabilitate them and say what it has done with money allocated for the resettlement, rehabilitation and repatriation of refugees in 1989 as stipulated by Resolution 435 of 1978.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 435 was adopted on 29 September 1978. This resolution was put forward to create proposals for a ceasefire and UN-supervised elections in the South African-controlled South West Africa.
According to the petition, the UN is to blame for poor standard of living of the struggle kids and the former liberation fighters.
The petition also demanded that the UN hand over the money budgeted for refugee programmes so that the affected people could complete their rehabilitation process.
“Our children born and raised during the liberation struggle are now grown men and women and should therefore be given their money for resettlement and rehabilitation,” they demanded.
According to the group spokesperson, Tuulimoupya Kakolonyah , upon their return to Namibia in1989, they received only R10 each, an axe, a hoe, cutlery, a single mattress, a grey blanket, a pot without lid, 1kg of beans and 750ml of cooking oil.

Uneducated

The group claimed that they need money to improve their lives because many of them never attended school or lost limbs during the liberation war.
In the petition they claimed that they could never secure decent employment because of these injuries.
“No proper care was taken and they could not help themselves or their families because they were never employed since their return to Namibia in 1989,” the petition read.
One of the former soldiers, Gabriel Naftali, who has fathered 19 children, said he became disabled after being shot during the war.
“I tried to join the army on my return but they said I could not because I am disabled so I have just been at the village since then,” he said.
The group gave the UN 14 days to study the petition and give them feedback.
Jean-Pierre Ilboudo, the head of the UNESCO office in Windhoek, received the petition on behalf of the UN resident coordinator, Anita Kiki Gbeho.

JEMIMA BEUKES