/ 4 March 1999

CAPRIVI REFUGEES AT 2500

THE number of Namibian refugees from the Caprivi region who have poured into Botswana seeking asylum now stands at 2501. Principal officer in the Office of the President in Botswana, Ross Sanoto, said that although the Refugee Advisory Council has determined the refugee status of more than 2000 Namibians, it has not yet forwarded its findings to the government. The governments of Botswana and Namibia are trying to convince the Namibians who fled to Botswana in the wake of secessionist troubles in the Caprivi that no reprisals will be taken against them if they return home.