Zambezi border killings ‘not sustainable’

MATHIAS HAUFIKU WINDHOEKDefence minister Frans Kapofi called on his counterparts in Botswana to urgently address the excessive force by its military against Namibians living along the Namibia-Botswana border in the Zambezi Region.Speaking during Namibian Sun’s Evening Review show last week, Kapofi said the spate of killings and abuse meted out against Namibians by the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) is causing tension in that area.More than 30 Namibians have been killed by the BDF in Zambezi since 1990.“This is something that has to be seriously looked at and they must address it because you do not want it to escalate; hence, the cordial relations between the two countries must translate into practical solutions,” he said.Kapofi said the ‘shoot-to-kill’ policy used by the BDF is not a standing policy of the Botswana government but rather “acts of indiscipline by rogue soldiers”. “The government of Botswana does not share the view that Namibians must be threatened and killed; these are acts of indiscipline from rogue soldiers. But given the publicity they got out of these incidents, I do not think they will sustain it; it is not neighbourly,” he said.He added that the situation along the Chobe River does not threaten the sovereignty of Namibia.Not at warAsked whether Namibia will consider deploying its army along the border if the BDF continues threatening Namibians, he said: “Deploying the army will usher in a different scenario. We would not want to replace our police with the army. We are not at war with them, but that friction of their soldiers killing our people will continue causing tension. In the end, we have a duty to ensure the safety of our people”.The minister also shrugged off claims that Namibia is not doing enough to help Namibians who are forced to bear the brunt of the BDF when making use of the shared river, which is a source of life and livelihood for thousands.“This is just political, there is no government that will cherish the killing of its citizens. We are paying attention to their concerns, although there are some people who want to exploit the situation by inciting conflict,” he said.Kapofi also disagreed with Botswana’s stance of killing alleged poachers instead of arresting them.“Their policy of not arresting poachers is not right, people must be arrested and brought before a competent court of the law. That policy cannot be sustained,” he charged.He also indicated that the deployment of the Namibian Defence Force (NDF) in domestic police operations will continue. This despite repeated public outcry against alleged military brutality during these operations.Kapofi defended the army, saying “those who are brutal are very few and we will continue providing support to civil authorities because the police do not have the adequate manpower”.

Zambezi border killings ‘not sustainable’

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Namibian Sun 2026-04-15

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Zambezi border killings ‘not sustainable’

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Namibian Sun 2026-04-15

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