Namibia to deport 82 Angolans

Namibia is to deport, without charging them, 82 people it says are suspected members and collaborators of the Angolan rebel group UNITA, ‘The Namibian’ said on Friday. Government officials were quoted as saying that the suspects had confessed to murder, robbery and plunder in the northeast of the country close to the border with Angola. The 82 were detained in joint operations between the army, immigration and police in the northeastern region of Kavango in July. The suspected UNITA members and their collaborators were held in secrecy for a month at Dordabis, 100 km southeast of Windhoek, the newspaper said. The permanent secretary in the ministry of home affairs, Niilo Taapopi, confirmed the detentions at a press conference on Thursday, saying the detainees were arrested as illegal immigrants. “I can confidently confirm that these are UNITA bandits who have confessed that they have perpetrated terrorist activities against our people in the Kavango region,” he said.