Windhoek
Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah says, contrary to popular understanding, Mali’s President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita did not ask Namibia to send troops to fight Islamic militants in that country.
This follows a plea by Keita last week for Namibian assistance in the fight against terrorism, which has since 2012 virtually brought that country to its knees with a series of vicious attacks.
In the latest spell of attacks in Mali it has been reported that security agencies are hunting for a fugitive gunman, who was wounded in a failed attack on the headquarters of the European Union’s military training mission in Mali’s capital, Bamako.
Keita’s request has had social media abuzz with complaints of fear from many who said getting involved in the situation in Mali could put Namibia high on the Islamist militants’ radar and further compromise the country’s safety.
Keita was in Namibia for a State visit that also coincided with the country’s 26th Independence anniversary celebrations and had apparently clarified the nature of his request before leaving the country on Tuesday.
“He [Keita] made it clear that Mali is seeking political and moral support from Namibia when the matter comes before the international community. He specifically mentioned the United Nations,” Nandi-Ndaitwah explained.
Political commentator Andrew Niikondo advised that if Namibia is to assist Mali or any other country militarily, it must do so through a UN peacekeeping mission and not through bilateral agreements. “In principle, it [the assistance] is already done, because when Namibia was fighting for its independence we were also helped by the international community,” Niikondo noted.
“Namibia can assist Mali if it comes to military help through international peacekeeping missions. It will be very dangerous to send troops there through bilateral structures.” Niikondo, however, expressed doubts as to whether Namibia will send troops to Mali or any other country outside the UN or African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission structures.
He added that such a decision would in any case have to be approved by the Namibian Cabinet and the National Assembly. “There is always a need to do a risk analysis before anything is done and it doesn’t mean just because the Heads of States have agreed it should be done immediately.”
“I think this was simply a proposal by Mali’s president and not a request that should be handled immediately,” he continued. He believes military intervention would be extremely dangerous, as the risk would be even higher for Namibia to get involved in the battles in Mali through unilateral intervention, as terrorists have adopted a culture of taking revenge against anyone who backs their target governments.