By Marx Itamalo /
Namibian citizens living along the border with Angola have accused Angolan security forces of abuse.
Omutumwa News Online spoke to several Namibians living along the country’s border with Angola in the Ohangwena region, who said that Angolan security forces are abusing them with impunity.
Namibia and Angola share fraternal ties and many Namibians and Angolans respectively cross into either country on a daily basis, using ungazetted entry points on either side of the border along the countries’ porous borders.
The citizens also conduct business in both countries.
However, there has been reports of abuse meted out against Namibian citizens by Angolan security forces.
Ms Anna Ndemuweda, a resident of Okatale, a village near the border, on Monday told Omutumwa News Online that they are being subjected to abuse by Angolan security forces on a daily basis.
She said that a week ago a young man from Okatale on the Namibian side of the border was assaulted and arrested for verbally defending another man who was being abused by the Angolan border police.
“There is a white man who is a refrigeration technician and he travels along the border to service and repair our fridges and refrigerators. This man came to do his work last week and one refrigerator he had to work on was on the Angolan side of the border. So, the Angolan police did not like it when he entered the Angolan side because of his white complexion,” said Ndemuweda.
She said the Angolan police interrogated the man and demanded to see his national documents and they accused the man of being a criminal.
“They mishandled him. It is when one man approached the police and told him what they were doing was wrong. He also made a video recording of the whole fracas.”
According to her, the police left the white man and confronted the victim, who was beaten with gun butts, was arrested, and was taken to the police station at Namacunde in Cunene province.
Ndemuweda said this is not the first incident but one of many. She claims many incidents happen in full view of Namibian border police officers, as their camp is adjacent to the one of the Angolan police officers.
Another resident, Petrus Hamukwaya, also complained about the conduct of Angolan border police officers.
He said residents living along the borders are always arrested and harassed for the slightest things such as grazing their animals a few meters inside Angola or for visiting relatives in Angola or things which Angolan citizens don’t get arrested for when in Namibia.
“I think the police chiefs of the adjacent regions should come together and deliberate on the issues affecting their border residents,” Hamukwaya said.
Omutumwa News Online could not get comment from Ohangwena police chief commissioner Ottile Kashuupulwa.
However, warrant officer Andreas Nghiyolwa, the region’s spokesperson, said several incidents of skirmishes between the residents and Angolan police are constantly reported in the region.
He, however, still indicated that many of these incidents are not unconnected with the illegal cross – border oil trade when Namibians enter Angola to obtain fuel.
In the photo: Warrant Officer Andreas Nghiyolwa, Ohangwena region’s police spokesperson.
