US report on human rights practices

In its 1999 country report on human rights practices in Namibia, the US State Department this week documented instances of extra judicial killings and deportations, disappearances, torture and arbitrary arrests.

Extra judicial killings

The report alleges that members of the Namibian security forces have committed several acts of extra judicial killings, mainly in the insecure north of the country. In the wake of the attack last year by the rebel Caprivi Liberation Army (CLA) on Katima Mulilo, the Caprivi capital, the state department said a number of civilians were killed or injured during security operations.

"Security operations during the year in the Caprivi region included widespread abuse of civilians and detainees. Beatings with rubber whips, and with rifle butts were inflicted during some arrests while some detainees were incarcerated," the report said.

Members of the CLA also committed serious abuses including "several extra judicial killings", during a dawn attack on 2 August on the northeastern town, the State Department said.

Torture and other cruel treatment

In December, during security operations in Kavango and Caprivi on the northern border with Angola after an outbreak of fighting between Angolan troops and UNITA rebels, Namibian security forces allegedly beat and abused citizens and Angolan refugees.

Elements of the Angolan army also reportedly beat Namibian citizens and Angolan refugees and abused women. "In December Namibian police discovered FAA (Angolan government) soldiers raping an Angolan refugee woman near Rundu (near the Angolan border). No action was taken against the officers responsible," the state department report added.

According to the report, UNITA units were also responsible for a number of civilian deaths in the northern part of the country.

Extra judicial deportations

The report said that there were also cases of extra judicial deportations from the Caprivi region of illegal Zambian and Angolan immigrants. "In December authorities forcibly returned to Angola fifty Angolan refugees who were fleeing the fighting in southern Angola; there was no judicial review of this action," it said.

View the full report at:
http://www.state.gov/www/global/human_rights/1999_hrp_report/namibia.htm