Brigitte Weidlich
20 November 2008
NAMIBIA should not send troops to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where a military conflict between government troops and a rebel army is escalating, an opposition party has urged.
"Just 10 years ago, former President Sam Nujoma decided to deploy troops of the Namibia Defence Force (NDF) there without consulting neither Cabinet nor Parliament," said Jesaya Nyamu, acting Secretary General of the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) yesterday.
Nyamu was a Cabinet member then.
Last week The Namibian carried a report citing Defence Minister Charles Namoloh, who said no Government decision had been made on sending troops to the DRC yet.
He said if such a decision was made, the correct procedures would be followed, including Cabinet consultations and tabling the proposal in Parliament as per constitutional requirements.
The Namibian also has it on good authority that the question of whether or not to send troops to the DRC was discussed at the Swapo Politburo meeting last weekend.
According to Nyamu yesterday, Nujoma's unilateral decision in 1998 to send troops to the DRC was in "total disregard and disrespect of the Namibian Constitution".
"Nujoma's action back then amounted to treachery which is impeachable under our Constitution," he said.
Impeachment means that a head of state can be removed from office if found guilty "of a violation of the Constitution and serious violation of the laws" of Namibia or found guilty of gross misconduct or ineptitude.
The impeachment must be agreed on by a two-thirds majority vote of the National Assembly and the National Council.
According to Nyamu, Nujoma was given a diamond mine by the late DRC President Laurent Kabila, allegedly to thank him for sending troops to the DRC.
"Government also gave a N$25 million loan to the DRC then.
We want to know if it has been repaid.
"We invite the public to stand with us in refusing to send our sons and daughters back to the DRC until and unless Nujoma and his supporters in Swapo provide the unequivocal justification for our participation yet again in that conflict, a full statement regarding the diamond mine and a full account with regard to the loan of N$25 million," Nyamu demanded.
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Namibia, the notion that your troops would go to Congo to defend personal mines doesn't make much sense. Remember not long ago, how the rest of Africa helped you guys. Were they interested in any kind of business?Think hard before you say this kind of things.
I now tired of sending our soldiers out why is not others if somebody has properties there he should go alone and keep it on the safe side not to send others on his behalf. Lets show a full stop to this nonsense wanna come back nooooo they should maybe employ their own soldiers not for the government.They have mines in DRC they can afford to pay them if the are serious of defending their stuffs .