By Staff Reporter
A Namibian Human Rights Lawyer has urged the Namibian police to unearth 7 missing bodies of the members of the Caprivi Liberation Army buried in a mass grave at Katima Cemetery.
Mr. Phil Ya Nangoloh, NamRights Executive Director told Caprivi Vision that the Namibian police should conduct a serious investigation into the missing bodies and a mass grave of the alleged Caprivi Secessionists who were brutally killed during the State of Emergency instituted by former Namibian President Dr. Sam Nujoma in August 1999.
“We urge the Namibian police to search and unearth the mass grave at Katima Cemetery, “why Nujoma ordered people to be killed ” he said.
He also warned that ” why hiding them in the mass grave, it is not the surprise to us this is what we have been saying and the Namibian government has been saying its rumors” explained Mr.Ya Nangoloh who also mentioned that, similar mass graves have been discovered in the eastern Kavango over the years whereas 35 Namibians including Angolan nationals of the UNITA bandits were allegedly buried.
In a letter which was addressed to the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mr.Cornelio Sommaruga, in Geneva, Switzerland by Mr.Saviour Ndala Tutalife, who is one of the 65 Caprivi High Treason prisoner (accused No.1), revealed that he and two (2) other witnesses (also prisoners like him) plus another witness in Zambezi region were present when six (6) Namibian Police officers , whose names cannot be revealed to the public but are known by this paper (whom he identifies), to be connected to the marathon of the Caprivi High Treason Trial, dishonorably and secretly buried the victims in a public cemetery at the town of Katima Mulilo.
He claims that he knows the mass grave of the seven corpses buried on 20 January 2000.
“Dear Sir, the following people were killed and buried in a mass-grave – whereby, these people were brutally killed in Katima Mulilo – Caprivi where their relatives and families does not know the fate of their ( Deceased) relatives.” quoted the letter.
Additional Protocol I Article 32 of the 1977 which Namibia is also a signatory State to all conventions states that, in the implementation of the section concerning the missing and the dead, the parties “shall be prompted mainly by the right of families to know the fate of their relatives”. This was ratified by Namibia (Ottawa Treaty) of 30 June 1999.
The missing seven (7) bodies buried at unknown mass grave at Katima Mulilo Cemetery commonly known as Diary Grave Yard are that of Mr. Shadrick Chainda from Chinywabuzyuni of Kaliyangile Area, Mr. Davis Chiziza from Makanga Area, Mr.Hansmayor Tungulu , Chinyabuzyuni , Mr.Herbert Muketela of Chingobeka Village, Mr.Obrien Mwahi, Batubaja Area, Mr.Bwendo Bernard from Makusi Area and Mr. Martin Kabende from Chincimani Area.
“None of the 7 seven mentioned members of the (UDP) United Democratic Party were buried after been killed by the regular security forces of the Namibian government in August 1999” said the Caprivian prisoner.
He also added that since August 1999 to January 2000, the corpses were kept in the Katima Mulilo State Hospital mortuary when the Superintendent Mr.Philemon Mubusisi Simasiku now deceased signed for the corpses to be removed away from the hospital and where handed to the police officers who are involved in the Caprivi High Treason Case.
“An excavator was used [to] dig or make a widely disgusting [pit] where the [corpses] of our beloved Caprivians were cruelly thrown into and buried in a massgrave. It is outrage to do such an offence. Are there others who are above the international law of I.H.L? If Sadaam Husein was [toppled] because of what he was doing to the Kurdish people of Iraq, what about those who were spearheading brutal killings in the Caprivi Strip during August 1999? All those people who were killed were all Mafwe of Chief [Boniface] Bwimo Bebi Mamili who is currently in exile in Denmark”.
However, Deputy Commissioner of the Namibian Police Public Relations Mr. Edwin Kangwatjivi confirmed to Caprivi Vision that the remains of those people who were killed during the Caprivi Uprising were buried by their relatives.
Mr. Kangwatjivi also refuted the allegations “we don’t know the massgrave and we cannot unearth the graves we don’t know … what we know are people who have been detained in prison and they were buried by their relatives.” explained the police spokesman.
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