Namibia Alert

 

Radio station closed down, several employees in hiding August 3, 1999 The Lozi-language service of the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), which is based in Katima Mulilo in the Caprivi province of Namibia, has ceased broadcasting following an occupation of the NBC building by armed attackers on August 2. Alleged secessionist rebels occupied the NBC building at Katima Mulilo while also attacking several other key installations at the town. The Namibian Defence Force (NDF) later blasted the building with mortars in an attempt to flush out the attackers. It is not clear to what extent the building and equipment had been damaged. Reports suggested that the attackers tried to go on air but did not succeed. There were no reports of casualties among NBC staff and NBC spokesperson, Umbi Swartz-Karauihe, confirmed that no attempt was made to force NBC employees to assist the attackers. Swartz-Karauihe confirmed, however, that several NBC employees, including the manager of the NBC office at Katima Mulilo, John Mutongu, where in hiding for fear of their lives. At this stage it is not clear whether they are being targeted specifically because they are NBC employees or because they generally are not supportive of the apparent armed insurrection in the province. The Caprivi region has been the scene of heightened military activity since August last year when the first reports surfaced of an alleged secessionist movement in the province. For months after these initial reports surfaced, several thousand people living in the region fled into neighbouring Botswana and requested political asylum. Earlier this year, Botswana granted asylum to just over a thousand of the refugees, while others were voluntarily repatriated to Namibia. ENDS Information distributed by: Raashied Galant MISA Researcher Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Private Bag 13386 Windhoek, Namibia Tel. +264 61 232975, Fax. 248016 e-mail: research@misa.org.na web: http://www.misanet.org