Vilho Hamunyela, a farmer in that area, said many wells in the western Kavango have been filled with sticks and sand.

Minister of Safety and Security, Peter Tsheehama, is currently in western Kavango to spread the message from the Government that all Oshiwambo-speaking farmers and their thousands of animals who have illegally settled in western Kavango must move out immediately.

"Many of the Oshiwambo-speaking farmers have begun gathering their animals to start with the great trek to the Owambo area," said Hamunyela.

He said many farmers have been told by Ukwangali Chief Sitentu Mpasi's people not to use the area's wells again.

According to Hamunyela water in many of wells has been spoiled completely, while some kraals have been burned out.

"When they started to chase us out the weekend of October 14, they filled many of the wells with sticks, sand and stones and destroyed many of our kraals," claimed Hamunyela.

"We can no longer use those wells and we are now struggling to get water."

He said many of their cows have small calves and others are in calf.

"All this makes it difficult for these animals to move or to stay without water for a long time," Hamunyela said.

Hamunyela said the farmers had been forced to go into Kavango because rich farmers, including senior Government officials, have fenced off large areas in the eastern part of former Owambo.

"As we are now moving out from western Kavango, there is just no space along the border in the former Owambo where we can graze our animals, and we really do not know what to do now," Hamunyela said.

"You cannot even drive your animals inland of the former Owambo from Kavango, because the whole eastern part has been fenced off, from the Angolan border to Tsintsabis in the Oshikoto Region."

He said Government might have made a good decision, but felt it had not taken into consideration many aspects, such as the fences around large areas in the former Owambo that will block the farmers from Kavango who are trying to move their herds back to the west.

"I think that with this decision, our Government has thrown us away, and we are still calling upon our Government not to forget us, but to see to it that we also enjoy the fruits of our independent motherland, Namibia," Hamunyela said.

"We who have suffered during the colonial era, are again suffering in independent Namibia.

Our backbone has been broken and we are really suffering.

We were better off in Kavango, and now we are going to suffer," he said.

The Governor of Kavango, John Thighuru, told The Namibian by telephone that he and Chief Mpasi were still locked in meetings with Minister Tsheehama at the Chief's Palace at Kurinkuru the whole of yesterday afternoon.

"We are in the meeting now, please come back to me later," Thighuru said.

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