A SIMMERING dispute between Namibia and neighbouring Botswana over ownership of an island in the Chobe river which separates the two countries is due to come before the International Court of Justice in The Hague on Monday. The disputed sovereignty of Kasikili island — called Sedudu in Botswana — has created tension between the two southern African countries since 1992. Botswana maintains an armed presence on the island, which it claims is fulfilling an anti-poaching function. In 1995, after a joint technical commission failed to agree on where the common border should lie, the two neighbours decided to refer the dispute to the International Court of Justice. Kasikili island is a mere 3,5 square kilometres in size, but in the rainy season much of it disappears under water.