Wakudumo: Nujoma saved us from Unita

Kavango East Governor Bonifatius Wakudumo says Namibia’s founding president Sam Nujoma took swift and decisive action to rid the region of National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (Unita) insurgents, who terrorised communities in the late 1990s.Speaking to Namibian Sun on Wednesday, Wakudumo praised the late statesman for personally intervening when Angolan rebel forces turned the Kavango Region into a battlefield, raiding villages, stealing livestock and instilling fear among residents.“In 1998 and 1999, Unita bandits were a major threat to our people. They would sneak into Namibia at night, steal cattle and goats, and terrorise families because they were angry that president Nujoma had allowed FAPLA [People&#039;s Armed Forces of Liberation of Angola], the Angolan government forces, to operate from Namibian soil,” Wakudumo said.Recognising the severity of the situation, Nujoma not only issued directives from Windhoek but also travelled to the region multiple times to assess the crisis first-hand.“When the local leadership called on him for help, he came to see the situation himself. He did not hesitate. He declared that Unita would be pursued and dealt with and the very same day, we saw a massive deployment of Namibian soldiers from Omega to Katwitwi,” the governor recalled.“The river was sealed off, Unita was pushed deep into Angola, and peace was restored. That was the kind of leader he was – decisive, fearless and always putting the safety of his people first.”Deadly attacksIn January 2000, the Panafrican News Agency (Pana) reported that three young French tourists were murdered and their parents seriously wounded in an ambush by suspected Unita rebels in the Caprivi Region, known today as Zambezi. The attack sparked widespread fears of increased insecurity in the north.The murdered children – aged 10, 15 and 18 – were gunned down along the Trans-Caprivi Highway at Bagani while travelling to Windhoek after a sightseeing trip.The Caprivi and Kavango regions were said to have been heavily infiltrated by Unita, which sought revenge against Windhoek for allowing Angolan government troops to launch military campaigns against the rebels from Namibian territory.In April 2000, Pana reported that Nujoma reiterated Namibia’s commitment to pursue Unita rebels inside Angolan territory if they continued destabilising Kavango and western Caprivi.“No stone would be left unturned in dealing with Unita bandits currently destabilising peace and stability in the two regions,” Nujoma told parliament after his State of the Nation Address that year.The security situation deteriorated to the point that civilians in eastern Kavango and western Caprivi were forced to sleep in the bush, fearing nighttime Unita attacks.Civilian transportation between Rundu and Katima Mulilo was escorted by security forces after multiple deadly ambushes, including attacks on foreign tourists travelling along the Trans-Caprivi Highway.On December 22, 1999, Unita insurgents attacked a Namibian Police’s Special Field Force camp at Mbambi, 200 km east of Rundu, killing a sergeant and wounding three others. The rebels also wounded a young boy after robbing a civilian home before escaping back into Angola.nikanor@nmh-hub.com.na

Wakudumo: Nujoma saved us from Unita

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-20

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Wakudumo: Nujoma saved us from Unita

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-20

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