Botswana Killings Too Harsh
CONDOLENCE to the bereaved families of the two Namibians who lost their lives at the hands of the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) in cold blood for alleged poaching.
This is not the first incident in which the BDF have killed Namibians in this manner, but one of the many incidents. The question is then: Why is the Botswana Defence Force killing Namibians like this?
In the 1970s, 80s and 90s we saw such strict border control by the soldiers in this case Unita rebels on the Namibia - Angola border, the area under their control. One could understand this because Unita were at war with the Angolan government. Hence the tight border control.In this case, is the government of Botswana at war with any one of its neighbouring countries in southern Africa or elsewhere in the world? Is there a rebellion in Botswana to justify such strict border control by the BDF instead of the police? But I believe none of the above is applicable to Botswana, so why are our neighbours so harsh?
We are taught by the exporters of democracy (USA and the others) that democracy is all about respect for human rights and human dignity and that slaughtering people is a disregard of human dignity and a crime against humanity. Is Botswana not a democracy? If there is a government, what is it saying about these killing?
Was it accidental or a deliberate killing and if it was an accident, why is the Botswana government not coming out with an apology to the Namibian government and its people for what had happened?
I believe the two countries enjoy great relations and incidents of this nature sound so alien to this relationship and the spirit of Pan-Aficanism. I hope the government of Botswana is conducting an investigation into this shooting to determine what really transpired here.
Samende AN
By email