Pohamba called to mediate between Nujoma and NSHR

PRESIDENT Hifikepunye Pohamba must mediate between Swapo leader Sam Nujoma and the head of the National Society for Human Rights in order to stop the case at the International Criminal Court from going ahead, says the Forum for the Future of Africa.

Saying they were aggrieved by the standoff, the Forum’s Director, Saunders Jumah, called on Pohamba to convene a meeting to resolve personal differences between Nujoma and the NSHR’s Phil ya Nangoloh once and for all. That meeting should also result in the withdrawal of the NSHR case from the ICC, he said.The NSHR made a submission to the ICC to hold Nujoma accountable for the disappearance of thousands of Namibians before and shortly after Independence.Other people named in the submission are former Defence Minister Erkki Nghimtina, former Chief of Defence and now retired Lieutenant General Solomon ‘Jesus’ Hawala, and NDF First Battalion Colonel Thomas Shuuya.The NSHR called on the ICC to investigate them for “instigation, planning, supervision, abetting, aiding, defending and or perpetuating” the disappearances of Namibians.Last week, the NSHR said it was willing to withdraw the case on condition that the Namibian Government set up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission.The Forum for the Future of Africa said they neither cherished the disappearance of the people nor the NSHR dragging Nujoma to the ICC.”First consider the peace in Namibia and come to the issue later,” the Forum suggested to the NSHR.”If Dr Sam Nujoma is to be tried at the ICC, let us take the apartheid activists who killed our brothers and sisters to ICC.Let us take the killers of Steve Biko and other freedom fighters to the very same court of the ICC first.”It said both Nujoma and Ya Nangoloh had no case to answer at the ICC.”(T)here is something wrong which is personal and the place to sort out their differences is not at ICC.There are many places in Namibia to sort out mistakes and or differences”.Another person the Forum suggested for the role of mediator was Bishop Zephania Kameeta.They said Nujoma was only a head of an organisation and thus must not be held personally liable.”As for the ICC, we appeal to them to throw out the case,” the Forum said.”There is no way the ICC must waste time compiling records with the intention of persecuting and or charging the leader of a group which fought for the independence of a country.”In any case, they claimed, Ya Nangoloh was out to settle a score with the Founding Father because of “personal grudges” – something that “cannot allow the nation to be dragged into disarray.”That meeting should also result in the withdrawal of the NSHR case from the ICC, he said.The NSHR made a submission to the ICC to hold Nujoma accountable for the disappearance of thousands of Namibians before and shortly after Independence.Other people named in the submission are former Defence Minister Erkki Nghimtina, former Chief of Defence and now retired Lieutenant General Solomon ‘Jesus’ Hawala, and NDF First Battalion Colonel Thomas Shuuya.The NSHR called on the ICC to investigate them for “instigation, planning, supervision, abetting, aiding, defending and or perpetuating” the disappearances of Namibians.Last week, the NSHR said it was willing to withdraw the case on condition that the Namibian Government set up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission.The Forum for the Future of Africa said they neither cherished the disappearance of the people nor the NSHR dragging Nujoma to the ICC.”First consider the peace in Namibia and come to the issue later,” the Forum suggested to the NSHR.”If Dr Sam Nujoma is to be tried at the ICC, let us take the apartheid activists who killed our brothers and sisters to ICC.Let us take the killers of Steve Biko and other freedom fighters to the very same court of the ICC first.”It said both Nujoma and Ya Nangoloh had no case to answer at the ICC.”(T)here is something wrong which is personal and the place to sort out their differences is not at ICC.There are many places in Namibia to sort out mistakes and or differences”.Another person the Forum suggested for the role of mediator was Bishop Zephania Kameeta.They said Nujoma was only a head of an organisation and thus must not be held personally liable.”As for the ICC, we appeal to them to throw out the case,” the Forum said.”There is no way the ICC must waste time compiling records with the intention of persecuting and or charging the leader of a group which fought for the independence of a country.”In any case, they claimed, Ya Nangoloh was out to settle a score with the Founding Father because of “personal grudges” – something that “cannot allow the nation to be dragged into disarray.”