Continuing border insecurity

In ongoing insecurity on Namibia's northeastern border with Angola, two Namibians have been abducted by suspected UNITA rebels, 'The Namibian' said on Monday.

The newspaper said that the abductions came amid threats of attacks on Special Field Force (SFF) bases in the area.

'The Namibian' said that in one incident a 50-year-old woman was taken from her home at Mut'jiku, 200 km east of the border town of Rundu. An SFF spokesman was quoted by 'The Namibian' as saying that that a patrol had been sent to Mut'jiku area on Saturday morning and had followed the attackers' footprints right up to the Angolan border.

Last week the ministry of defence announced a curfew in the area near the Kavango river. It said that the river would be off limits to residents at night.

Meanwhile, the Roman Catholic Church in Namibia said it was shocked that "recent barbaric attacks on civilians in the northeast of the country had now reached the premises of religious organisations which had nothing to do with the unrest".

Speaking to 'The Namibian' from Bunyu Parish near Ntara Roman Catholic Church, where a landmine exploded 10 days ago, the priest in charge, Lucien Tsehla, said it was very difficult to understand why such an attack was launched in the church.

"Up to now we cannot believe that it had happened in the church. We are planning to call for a special prayer on Pentecost Day. We will invite the whole community in the area," Tsehla said. He described the area as "relatively quiet" after the attack but was not too optimistic that it would hold.

"When the sun goes down, one can expect anything," he said