Maunga
Fourteen Namibia fishermen and fish vendors were reportedly picked up by Botswana Defence Force (BDF) soldiers who raided fishing camps along the border last weekend.
The troops aboard a helicopter once again ransacked a makeshift fishing camp at Maunga in the Kapani area, some 80km south-west of Katima Mulilo on Saturday.
The soldiers claimed the fishing camps were illegally set up in Botswana though some villagers claim the fishing camps are on the Namibian side of the Linyanti River.
A similar incident happened last year when over 70 residents were rounded and roughened up by BDF troops who proceeded to allegedly detain and torture them at Kachikau military holding facility.
The Kachikau detainees were detained for four days in Botswana and eventually released without the knowledge of Namibian authorities.
Confirming the latest incident an induna of the area Striven Mashazi said the latest BDF detainees include seven women who sell fish and who had gone to the camps to buy fish.
“About fourteen people are missing. Seven women were fish vendors. One woman had a child,” said induna Mashazi.
The induna could not understand how the BDF could pounce on fishermen’s camps.
“Last year when a similar incident happened we were close to the Chobe River and were told to move about 400 metres inside, which we did. Now we are at Linyanti River but they keep following us. It takes about 37 kilometres to reach the Chobe River from here,” he bemoaned.
Mashazi was further unhappy with what he said was the Namibian government’s inaction to resolve the matter once and for all.
“We are sick and tired of being terrorized day and night and our government does nothing about it.”
Residents claim the area under contention has always served as their fields from time immemorial and they were only prevented from tilling the land due to floods.
Adjacent to the area under contention is Situngu Island, which has in the past also pitted the two countries against each other.
Over four camps in a reed-infested and grassy area with multiple streams was raided and the BDF who used a helicopter in their latest raid set alight makeshift grass structures and fishnets and destroyed a flotilla of canoes.
During the raid many fishermen hid in reeds to avoid detection and it was not clear how many were present during the raids on the many islets that dot the area.
This reporter could not reach the exact scene due to uncertainty over the boundary between the two countries.
However BDF helicopters could be seen hovering back and forth for several hours. The view was obstructed and it was not clear due to the tall grass and reeds whether those detained were being transported in the helicopters. Smoke could however be seen coming from the several camps that were set alight.
A detachment of the Special Field Force (SFF) of the Namibian Police was sent to the scene but they too could only watch as the BDF ransacked the camps unabated.
Lizazi Lubasi was one of the fishermen in one of the camps during the raid. He managed to escape and narrated his terrifying experience to this reporter.
“We heard the sound of helicopters in the morning and they were hovering above us until one landed in our camp,” he said.
“I hid in the grass and so did others. We were eventually found and the BDF pointed a gun at us and told us not to run. One man was hit with a gun. I eventually ran and jumped into the water. I don’t know what happened to the others,” recalled the clearly shaken Lubasi.
According to Lubasi, two women were among the group at his camp.
“We camped there for almost a week. There were two women and three children. It is not clear whether they are still in hiding. Another helicopter came with soldiers. The BDF burned over 10 canoes, fishnets and all our possessions including our IDs and fish permits,” narrated Lubasi.