The Botswana Defence Force (BDF) is facing fresh accusations of destabilizing neighbouring Namibia.
A document in the form of a petition seen by this publication shows that the months-long border tension that has played out along Botswana’s border with Namibia is rapidly deepening as the latter’s citizens accuse the BDF of sabotaging their country’s economy by disrupting tourism activities along the border shared by the two countries.
In a petition that was addressed to that country’s citizens, a Namibian pressure group, Namibian Lives Matter is alleging that Botswana’s army “is actively causing instability in Namibia by crossing the Chobe River at will and driving animals back to Botswana.”
Responding to the allegations, BDF spokesperson, Lieutenant Fana Maswabi said: “The BDF wishes to state that its operations along the common borders do not include harassment of its neighbours.” Maswabi said the BDF’s mission is to defend Botswana’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and national interest as sanctioned by the Government of Botswana.
The document shows how Namibians are now ramping up efforts to have their army ready to counter what they describe as acts of aggression by the BDF. Namibians are also calling upon “the Minister of Environment and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta to take this matter with the seriousness it deserves.”
In the petition, the Namibian Lives Matter is mobilizing citizens to take the law into their hands by defending themselves against the BDF. The organisation’s national chairperson, Sinvula Mudabeti states that on 18 January 2023, a BDF boat carrying four heavily armed members of the BDF followed the Zambezi Queen in Namibian waters until it reached the Main Channel of the Chobe River.
“We would like to inform the nation that two incidents of aggression, intimidation and provocation by the Botswana Defence Force (BDF), whose Commander in Chief, is President Masisi, continues on innocent and unarmed Namibians as well on Namibian soil and on the Chobe River on the Namibian side,” said Mudabeti.
Maswabi said; “Kindly note that the BDF is not aware of any incident of harassment perpetrated by its members on the Namibian Nationals while conducting border security operations. If there are any such allegations, it should have been reported to the Police or any relevant authorities and BDF would have been made aware of the matter,” he said.
Mudabeti said the matter was reported to the Zambezi Regional Police Commissioner and the Governor but no action was taken. “We demand a statement from the Inspector General of the Namibian Police to inform the nation why he is failing to investigate acts committed by BDF in Namibia.”
Mudabeti revealed that the Namibian Lives Matter was in possession of a “video footage of the BDF boat and the soldiers that were taken by our surveillance team on the ground.”
“These acts by BDF on a Namibian House Boat are aimed at intimidating and harassing our tourists so that tourists visiting Namibia may feel unsafe and hence not visit Namibia. This is going to cripple our tourism sector,” said Mudabeti. He also urged “the Chief of the Namibian Defence Force to activate reconnaissance reaction against BDF.”
“While the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation is meeting in Windhoek, Botswana continues with its acts of war against innocent and unarmed Namibian civilians living along the Chobe River,” said Mudabeti.
According to the document, again, On Tuesday, 24 January 2023, “two heavily armed Botswana Defence Force soldiers crossed the Chobe River using a small aluminum canoe at an ungazetted point and entered Namibia with their automatic guns and ammunition.”
Mudabeti alleged that when the BDF soldiers docked on Namibian soil, they found a cattle herder and interrogated him as to what he was doing along the Chobe River and where he stayed. “They then drove a lone Elephant back to Botswana and paddled back to Botswana. This matter was reported to the Zambezi Police Regional Commander who suggested that the matter be reported to the Ministry of Environment and Tourism,” he said.
Mudabeti accused Botswana of continuing “to unashamedly violate a core objective of the SADC Security Objective without reserve.”
“Among the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security’s objective number one on Defence is that of ‘protecting the people and safeguard the development of the region against instability arising from the breakdown of law and order, intra state and interstate conflicts and aggression,” said Mudabeti.
He added: “We register our disappointment in the manner in which our President and Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security, Dr Hage Geingob, who issued a Statement on January 13, 2023 where he was quoted ‘SADC does not condone acts reflected in a video (About SADC peace keepers in Mozambique burning bodies) that circulated and said that investigations will be conducted and once completed, SADC will take appropriate measures, in line with international Law.”
Mudabeti wondered “if international law that our President referred to does not apply to the acts of war that BDF is perpetuating against residents of the Zambezi Region.”
Mudabeti acts of “Selective Morality by our President will soon work against his public pronouncements on acts of war elsewhere as he is unable to speak against the same in Namibia.”
He said the BDF continues to treat residents of the “Zambezi Region as their slaves and will continue because our President continues to dine and wine with President Masisi while innocent an unarmed Namibians suffer at the hands of trigger happy BDF.”
“We shall never allow Botswana to continue with its acts of aggression unabated, at the appointed time, we shall mobilize residents of the Zambezi region to find alternative means to protect their land and lives,” he warned.
