11 more graves found

ELEVEN mass graves were found in the Omusati Region this week, the Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner Christof Nakanyala, said yesterday.

Nakanyala said that members of the public and former SWATF or Koevoet members have come forward with information on the location of several graves. The first mass grave was discovered by construction workers at Eenhana on November 9.The skeletal remains are believed to be mainly those of members of Swapo’s armed wing, Plan.”We have so far only managed to dig at three of the 11 places we were shown by these informants and at all places we have found skeletons.That shows us that these informants are very accurate,” Deputy Commissioner Nakanyala said of the latest graves.He said five skeletons were found in a grave at Omunyele village near Outapi.The grave also contained fragments of explosive devices.”They (the skeletons) were in pieces, and it seems that they were blown up while in that grave,” Nakanyala said.”They were apparently buried there in 1982.”Another grave has been found at Omukoko village.It also contained five skeletons, and are believed to date from 1982, he said.Three skeletons were found in a grave at Olupaka, 15 km west of Outapi.According to the informants, the people were killed in 1983, Nakanyala said.The grave of a single Plan fighter, believed to have died in 1983, was found at Oshitukafitu.Nakanyala said yesterday that the Police had information about a large mass grave at Tsandi in the Uukwaluudhi area, where Swapo fighters as well as SWATF and Koevoet members killed in a battle at Oshaambelo in 1984 were buried together.He said the biggest mass grave pointed out to the Police is near the old Ruacana military base, close to the Ruacana air strip, in which 29 to 30 people had been buried in 1984, according to the informants.The second biggest is near the Outapi District Hospital, where 25 people were buried in 1982.The grave was pointed out by a former construction worker, who was asked at the time by South African soldiers at the Outapi military base to dig the grave with his bulldozer.”Not far from Outapi hospital, there is another one (grave) in Outapi town where those killed in April 1989 were buried,” Nakanyala said.He said one informant told him that a business complex had been built on top of a mass grave at Outapi town.Nakanyala is still calling upon people who know about mass graves to come forward with the information.”It’s really a big work, to dig up all those mass graves, but we will see what we can do,” Deputy Commissioner Nakanyala said.Meanwhile, The Namibian has learnt that some construction companies have volunteered to help dig up graves with their earthmoving equipment.The first mass grave was discovered by construction workers at Eenhana on November 9.The skeletal remains are believed to be mainly those of members of Swapo’s armed wing, Plan. “We have so far only managed to dig at three of the 11 places we were shown by these informants and at all places we have found skeletons.That shows us that these informants are very accurate,” Deputy Commissioner Nakanyala said of the latest graves.He said five skeletons were found in a grave at Omunyele village near Outapi.The grave also contained fragments of explosive devices.”They (the skeletons) were in pieces, and it seems that they were blown up while in that grave,” Nakanyala said.”They were apparently buried there in 1982.” Another grave has been found at Omukoko village.It also contained five skeletons, and are believed to date from 1982, he said.Three skeletons were found in a grave at Olupaka, 15 km west of Outapi.According to the informants, the people were killed in 1983, Nakanyala said.The grave of a single Plan fighter, believed to have died in 1983, was found at Oshitukafitu.Nakanyala said yesterday that the Police had information about a large mass grave at Tsandi in the Uukwaluudhi area, where Swapo fighters as well as SWATF and Koevoet members killed in a battle at Oshaambelo in 1984 were buried together.He said the biggest mass grave pointed out to the Police is near the old Ruacana military base, close to the Ruacana air strip, in which 29 to 30 people had been buried in 1984, according to the informants.The second biggest is near the Outapi District Hospital, where 25 people were buried in 1982.The grave was pointed out by a former construction worker, who was asked at the time by South African soldiers at the Outapi military base to dig the grave with his bulldozer.”Not far from Outapi hospital, there is another one (grave) in Outapi town where those killed in April 1989 were buried,” Nakanyala said.He said one informant told him that a business complex had been built on top of a mass grave at Outapi town.Nakanyala is still calling upon people who know about mass graves to come forward with the information.”It’s really a big work, to dig up all those mass graves, but we will see what we can do,” Deputy Commissioner Nakanyala said.Meanwhile, The Namibian has learnt that some construction companies have volunteered to help dig up graves with their earthmoving equipment.