THE CAPRIVI Concerned Group’s secretary general, Edwin Samati ,says it is time Swapo and the United Democratic Party’s leadership hold a peaceful dialogue to address the political dispute in the region.
The United Democratic Party is a political party in Namibia, representing mainly people from the then Caprivi (now Zambezi region) and advocating the secession of the Caprivi Strip.
Exiled Mishake Muyongo formed the party in 1985 as a successor to the Caprivi African National Union. Before 1985, the UDP was affiliated to the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA) group of parties.
In 1998, the UDP openly voiced support for the secession of the Caprivi resulting in Muyongo and other leaders fleeing the country.
The party was, however, effectively banned in 2006.
The concerned group is a civil rights movement which advocates the rights of people calling themselves Caprivians, especially their right to become an “independent country”.
Samati made these remarks yesterday during a peaceful demonstration at the Katima Mulilo open market.
About 100 members of the group marched to the governor’s office to hand over their petition with demands for political dialogue between the government of Namibia and the United Democratic Party.
A member of the concerned group, Harris Mpangala, read the petition before handing it over to the special adviser to the Zambezi regional governor, Ignatius Nkunga.
Nkunga promised to hand it over to the relevant parties.
The group also called for the unconditional release of all Caprivi political prisoners, and a referendum on whether the region should remain a part of Namibia, or secede.
According to the group, they should be granted an opportunity to have a dialogue between the government and the UDP leadership.
The ban on the United Democratic Party in 2002, the group claimed, was unconstitutional.
