Namibians seek justice for countrymen killed by BDF

Namibian Lives Matter Movement, which began after the Botswana Defence Force allegedly gunned down three Namibian brothers in 2020, is still looking for justice for over 37 Namibians including a seven-year-old boy whom they claim were murdered by the BDF.In an online panel discussion organised by Movement in Omaha for Racial Equity, Sinvula Mudabeti - Chairperson of the Namibian Lives Matter Movement (NLMM) said that Botswana lied that the three brothers were poachers and the government of Botswana was unfair at the courts on this issue.They say that Botswana planted the evidence of elephant tusks at the scene because there were no finger prints of the murdered men on the tusks.He said that the Namibian nationals were abducted, tortured and later killed at point blank range. He noted that the men were found on the Namibian side and were dragged over the Chobe river to the Botswana side and went through all this to create a narrative.Mudabeti said that it does not make sense why poachers from Namibia would leave elephants in Namibia and go poach in Botswana, questioning where the carcasses of the elephants are.“This is a miscarriage of justice,” Mudabeti said, accusing Botswana of not observing international best practices as they could not even consider witnesses from Namibia.He said that the shoot to kill policy is a plague against the people of Namibia. Mudabeti said that it is pivotal for the two countries to work together and let the law take its course.He advocated for the army to do the right thing which would be not to shoot to kill but rather to arrest people suspected of being poachers and take them through the rightful arrest processes.He appealed to Africans to realise that they are one people, and to open up to the idea of learning new ways of living and to unite more.Sylvester Kabajani, the General Secretary NLMM said that the government of Namibia is reluctant to take the issue any further and the friendship between Botswana and Namibian leaders made it easier to navigate the tussle.Kabajani said that there is a reluctance to take the issue to the international courts because of a number of factors such as the diplomatic relationship between the two countries and the fact that Botswana once won the tussle for the Sedudu Island at the International Court of Justice.Kabajani said they do not wish to see lives being lost at the hands of the BDF whilst the country stays silent in order to save diplomatic relationships.Speaking during the panel discussion, Botswana Journalist, Joel Konopo was of the view that the two nations need to deal with the poaching issues.He said that the steep rise in poaching has caused Southern African nations to want to deal harshly with poachers as tourism is a significant contributor to the GDP of these nations.

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Namibians seek justice for countrymen killed by BDF