Human Rights, Reconciliation and Conflict in Independent Namibia: The Formation of the Namibian Army and Police Force

Abstract

For over twenty years Namibia was locked in a bitter struggle for independence from colonial rule. More than 12,000 of its inhabitants were killed and tens of thousands were forced into exile. The northern part of the country, where over half the population live, became a war zone under direct South African military occupation. In northern Namibia and much of southern Angola, revolutionary and counter-revolutionary warfare was waged by a range of formidable forces. These included the South African Defence Force (SADF), the South West African Territory Force (SWATF), the South West African Police (SWAPOL) and the armed wing of Swapo, the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN).