Shalli lifts lid on Swapo's ties with Unita

Former army general Martin Shalli says while some may feel uneasy discussing the historical collaboration between Swapo and the formerly notorious Angolan rebel group Unita in the 1970s, the relationship was necessary and purely strategic.Speaking at a memorial service for Namibia’s founding president Sam Nujoma on Tuesday, Shalli confirmed that Swapo did work with Unita, describing it as a tactical move that should not be a source of shame.Shalli described Nujoma as a leader capable of uniting even former enemies in the pursuit of Namibia’s liberation."The relationship with Unita, some of us may feel ashamed to talk about it today, but it was purely strategic,” he said.“[Swapo was] in the southern part of Angola, while MPLA [People&#039;s Movement for the Liberation of Angola] operated in the north. Namibia is not Congo. You have to talk to those on the ground. Even if you don’t support them, there are people you must engage with for strategic reasons," he said. Shalli, who rose through the ranks of the Namibia Defence Force before being appointed by Nujoma as the country’s high commissioner to Zambia, added: “Sometimes, the only way to achieve your goals is to use the person who holds the key, even if you don’t like them. The rest is history. There is nothing to be ashamed of, nothing at all. We were never Unita, and Unita was never Swapo."Shalli credited Nujoma for assembling a formidable national fighting force that extended beyond Swapo’s ranks."As some of you may not know, the name changed from Southwest Africa to the People&#039;s Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) because there were individuals who did not want to join Swapo but still wanted to fight for Namibia’s independence. By calling it the People&#039;s Liberation Army of Namibia, they could fight alongside Swapo cadres, even if they were not Swapo members."Lens of historyA 2014 study published in the Journal of Southern African Studies by historian Vilho Amukwaya Shigwedha explores the complex dynamics of Swapo’s alliances during the liberation struggle.The study reveals that in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Swapo sought relations with all three Angolan liberation movements to facilitate its armed struggle.These connections allowed Swapo’s armed combat units to move from their Zambian bases through southern Angola and conduct military operations inside Namibia. However, after the collapse of the Swapo-Unita alliance in 1976, Swapo distanced itself from its former ally.Shigwedha’s research, based on archival records and interviews with former Swapo cadres, challenges this official stance."This article argues that the historic relationship between Unita and Swapo should be recognised and suggests that the two liberation movements were united by shared nationalist projects,” he wrote.Hands-onShalli’s remarks come just a week after Kavango East Governor Bonifatius Wakudumo hailed Nujoma for his decisive action in driving out Unita insurgents who terrorised Namibian communities in the late 1990s.Speaking to Namibian Sun, Wakudumo recalled how Unita forces turned the Kavango Region into a war zone, raiding villages, stealing livestock and instilling fear among residents."In 1998 and 1999, Unita bandits were a major threat to our people. They would sneak into Namibia at night, steal cattle and goats, and terrorise families because they were angry that president Nujoma had allowed FAPLA [People&#039;s Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola], the Angolan government forces, to operate from Namibian soil,” Wakudumo said.He added that Nujoma did not merely issue directives from Windhoek but personally travelled to the region multiple times to assess the crisis first-hand. - nikanor@nmh-hub.com.na

Shalli lifts lid on Swapo's ties with Unita

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-04-03

Please login to leave a comment

Shalli lifts lid on Swapo's ties with Unita

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-04-03

Please login to leave a comment

Login