TANGENI AMUPADHI, Windhoek | Saturday
AT least two Namibian soldiers have been killed and several more wounded in clashes with Unita in southern Angola over the past eight months but the army has kept the information secret, according to troops stationed in Angola.
This information emerged as the Portuguese news agency Lusa reported yesterday that Angola’s Unita rebels claimed to have killed 22 soldiers, among them 10 Namibians, when counter-attacking government forces and Namibian troops operating jointly in the Licua area of southern Angola’s Cuando Cubango province.
The Ministry of Defence yesterday dismissed Unita’s claims on the fatalities.
“The report is simply not true,” maintained Deputy Minister of Defence Victor Simunja.
“I can assure you that we have been conducting follow-up operations [into Angola] but the only casualties are of those [soldiers] who stepped on landmines.”
Simunja said his Ministry was “very accountable to the Namibian people” and would publicise information of Namibia Defence Force (NDF) soldiers killed.
The rebel group’s communique sent to Lusa in Lisbon said the clash at Licua took place on July 18.
Licua is about 120km from Bagani in eastern Kavango.
Simunja denied reports that Namibian soldiers have died in combat with Unita.
But reliable sources in the army said the last death took place in May when a Namibian soldier bled to death after Unita fired a shell into their trench at Licua.
Two other soldiers were injured in the same attack, but were flown to Andara hospital in eastern Kavango.
Another soldier died last November after stepping on a landmine.
Neither of their names could not be obtained at the time of going to press.
These are in addition to two soldiers who died after straying from their comrades.
“The only casualties are of those [soldiers] who stepped on landmines.” Simunja said they committed suicide.
Sources said about 10 soldiers have lost legs after stepping on landmines in Angola, where they have joined Angolan armed forces in their long-running battle with Jonas Savimbi’s rebel movement.
Simunja said only two soldiers have been injured in Angola since the NDF began sending troops after Unita at the beginning of last year.
A soldier who had returned from Angola this month said the NDF was now based in Angola.
The soldier, who cannot be named as he would be fired, said they did not receive enough food and medical supplies, there was no proper evaluation of injuries and casualties and that wounded soldiers sometimes went for days without medical attention due to poor evacuation arrangements.
Pressed on reports that Namibian troops have been based in Angola longer than a month, Simunja admitted this but said troops are withdrawn and others are sent in to replace them.
Namibian troops have helped Angolan soldiers dislodge Unita from its rear bases in the south of the country that has barely known any peace since colonialism.
The 26-year-old civil war appears far from over even though Unita’s capacity to use conventional warfare tactics has been destroyed.
President Sam Nujoma has said he will keep his troops in Angola until Unita is destroyed.
Namibia formally joined the Angolan civil war at the end of 1999 when it allowed FAA to launch attacks on Unita from Namibian soil.
For nearly a year afterwards bandits from both Unita and FAA as well as common criminals terrorised villagers in Caprivi and Kavango.
More than 80 people in Namibia have been killed in the attacks and hundreds more maimed as a result of the Angolan civil war. – The Namibian
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