Africa-Press – Angola. Cattle breeders in the north of the Republic of Namibia are illegally appropriating spaces in transhumance areas in the municipalities of Namacunde and Cuanhama, Cunene province, to accommodate and feed their cattle.
The information was provided this Thursday by the governor of Cunene, on the sidelines of a fact-finding visit to the town of Etalé Lomulavi, 259 kilometers east of the province, in order to hear from Namibian farmers based in the region.
He said that for 14 years, the national territory has been invaded by Namibian citizens, who, in search of pasture for their animals, illegally installed some private properties such as small canteens, farms and residences.
He argued that as these areas are difficult to access, due to the sandy characteristics of the terrain, vehicles appropriate for the terrain are needed to get there.
“It is a location more controlled by traditional authorities than the State itself, and this allows Namibian breeders to do whatever they want in the territory”, he lamented,
He made it known that there are currently more than 350 Namibian breeders under control who illegally enter several Angolan localities and graze their herds, especially in the regions of Etalela Omulemba, in the commune of Chiedi and the region of Okalwa, commune of Oshimolo.
Gerdina Didalelwa said that the breeders, instead of limiting themselves to grazing, fence off the spaces they occupy for the purpose of installing farms, “a behavior that demonstrates disrespect for the country’s laws and a flagrant violation of International Law”.
He added that the abusive installation of Namibians in communities is unacceptable , as there are legal mechanisms such as the document of resident citizens and others linked to immigration law.
He clarified that the Angolan Government does not intend to prevent Namibians from living in national territory, but it is necessary for them to be legalized and current laws to be complied with.
“We learned that Angola and Namibia have ties of consanguinity and friendship that go back a long time, but this does not mean that Angola donates part of its territory to the citizens of Namibia,” he explained.
To reverse the situation, he said that since 2012 the provincial government, within the scope of bilateral meetings between Angola and Namibia, has debated in order to find a satisfactory solution to resolve the problem.
The governor admitted that there is still no definitive decision to resolve this problem, which may require intervention from the central Executive and diplomacy, so as not to jeopardize bilateral relations, brotherhood and friendship between the two States.
The province of Cunene shares 460 kilometers of border with the Republic of Namibia, of which 340 are land and 120 are river.
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