Fear in Caprivi following alleged detentions

Panic has returned to the Caprivi region in northern Namibia, following the detention of several people in connection with this week’s landmine blast that left three people dead, the ‘Namibian’ reported on Friday. Officials from an NGO working with San communities in the region said they received reports from panic-stricken residents that Namibian security forces are using heavy handed tactics in their search for those responsible for the explosion.

Liep Kamba, the manager of Ngcoabaca campsite, a community tourism project near Omega, and Riembi John, identified as a government official, were among those arrested on Wednesday. They were accused of having helped the Angola-based rebel group UNITA “plant the bomb”. Relatives told development workers that they have been unable to trace the two men after they were picked up by Namibian soldiers. A police spokesman, Sergeant James Matengu said on Friday that nobody had been arrested in connection with the blast. Matengu said the suspects “were only picked by the security forces for questioning... and then they were released”. On Monday an anti-tank land mine was detonated by a vehicle killing the top government official in the area, Taleni Hamukoto, a soldier, another civilian and seriously injuring five.