Calls for the secession of the Zambezi Region resurfaced on Thursday when members of the banned United Democratic Party (UDP) staged a demonstration in Katima Mulilo and handed a petition to Governor Dorothy Kabula.
In their petition, the demonstrators demanded the immediate separation of the Zambezi Region from Namibia, a position the UDP has championed for decades under the leadership of exiled politician Mishake Muyongo. They also called for the unconditional release of “Caprivi political prisoners” serving treason sentences, and urged President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah to address their grievances within five days.
This marks the second protest by the UDP in Katima Mulilo within five months. In June, several of the party’s leaders were arrested after staging an unlawful demonstration.
The secessionist agenda has its roots in the late 1990s, when the UDP spearheaded the Caprivi independence movement. This culminated in the August 1999 Caprivi uprising, where armed attacks were launched in Katima Mulilo. The incident left several people dead and led to one of Namibia’s longest treason trials, with dozens of UDP supporters convicted years later. Muyongo, accused of orchestrating the movement, fled into exile where he remains to this day.
Governor Kabula, after receiving the petition, reminded the demonstrators that Namibia is a sovereign and united state. She assured them the document would be forwarded to the Office of the President but emphasized that secession goes against the principles of national unity.
The UDP was officially banned in Namibia in 2006 following its role in the secessionist movement. Despite this, sympathizers continue to revive the issue periodically, keeping alive tensions that government has repeatedly dismissed as unconstitutional and a threat to Namibia’s territorial integrity.
