WINDHOEK, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Sam Nujoma[b], the activist and guerrilla leader who became Namibia's first democratically elected president after it won its independence from apartheid South Africa, died aged 95 on Saturday, the Namibian Presidency said on Sunday.[/b]
Nujoma rose to head the thinly populated southern African country on March 21, 1990 and was formally recognised as "Founding Father of the Namibian Nation" through a 2005 act of parliament.
The acclaim was balanced out by domestic and international criticism over his intolerance of critical media coverage, his railing against homosexuality and over the 1998 constitutional amendment that let him run for a third term.
He was a longtime ally of Zimbabwean strongman Robert Mugabe, backing Mugabe's land seizures from white farmers, though at home Nujoma stuck to a "willing buyer, willing seller" policy.
The foundations of the Republic of Namibia have been shaken," the presidency posted on X. "Our venerable leader, Dr. Nujoma did not only blaze the trail to freedom – but he also inspired us to rise to our feet and to become masters of this vast land of our ancestors." The presidency said Nujoma had been hospitalised for medical treatment over the past three weeks, adding: "Unfortunately, this time, the most gallant son of our land could not recover from his illness."
COMPLEX LEGACY
Nujoma served his three terms as president from 1990 to 2005 and sought to project himself as a unifying leader bridging political divides.
In a country scarred by the legacy of apartheid and German colonial rule, Nujoma's SWAPO party oversaw a national reconciliation programme under the motto "One Namibia, One Nation".
In his speeches, Nujoma made a point of repeating the phrase: "A united people, striving to achieve a common good for all members of the society, will always emerge victorious."
His achievements included establishing democratic institutions and prioritising reconciliation, said Ndumba Kamwanyah, a lecturer at the University of Namibia and a political analyst.
But his autocratic tendencies, on display in his treatment of the media and brutal suppression of the 1999 Caprivi rebellion, cast a shadow over his legacy, Kamwanyah added. "While Nujoma's presidency was foundational in establishing Namibia's independence and governance, it was not without flaws," Kamwanyah said.
CAMPAIGNER AND GUERRILLA
Nujoma was born in a village in northwestern Namibia in 1929, when his country was under South African administration. South Africa had controlled Namibia since World War One after a brutal few decades of German colonial rule remembered for the genocide of the Herero and Nama people.
As a boy he looked after his family's cattle and attended a Finnish mission school, before moving to the coastal town of Walvis Bay and then the capital Windhoek, where he worked for South African Railways, according to a biography posted on the website of Nujoma's charitable foundation.
Nujoma left his job on the railways to focus his energies on bringing down the apartheid system.
In the late 1950s he became leader of the Owambo People's Organisation, a precursor to liberation movement SWAPO, organising resistance to the forced relocation of Black people in Windhoek that culminated in the police killing 12 unarmed people and wounding dozens more.
Nujoma was charged with organising the resistance and arrested. In 1960, he went into exile. He travelled across Africa before reaching the United States, where he petitioned the United Nations for Namibia's independence.
Made SWAPO leader in absentia, Nujoma established its armed wing and in 1966 launched a guerrilla war against the apartheid government.
It took more than a decade of pressure from Nujoma and others before a U.N. Security Council resolution in 1978 proposed a ceasefire and elections, and another decade for the ceasefire deal to be signed and elections held in late 1989.
SWAPO won a majority in those elections, and Nujoma took office in March the following year.
The man who sold the promise of ending the gaza conflict in other to win the pro Palestinian vote is now selling more arms to the opposition and planning complete clear out of Palestinians from Gaza, never ever believe a word from politicians
What happened to America first? What is this wasteful spending? I thought he figured out how to do this without American involvement. And USAID is a terror organization because they don't want these people dead. Sick on so many levels!
And congress is no longer given the authority to approve or allocate funds. this is more transparency?
The State Department on Friday announced a $7 billion arms sale to Israel, circumventing the congressional review process, according to Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
The announcement, which includes thousands of Hellfire missiles and bombs, comes days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met President Donald Trump and other top administration officials in Washington, DC. Netanyahu was the first foreign leader to meet with Trump at the White House in his second term.
During the standard congressional review process, the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee are notified of the arms sale and given time to raise concerns and ask questions. But even with questions outstanding from Meeks, the administration pushed forward with the sale.
“This move is yet another repudiation by Donald Trump of Congress’ rightful and legitimate oversight prerogative,” Meeks said in a statement Friday. “Furthermore, (Secretary of State Marco) Rubio has failed to provide adequate justification or documentation for bypassing the Congressional Committee review process.”
A congressional aide said the move from the Trump administration left them “shocked, but not surprised” that the White House fails to respect the role of Congress. The aide pointed to Trump’s rapid dismantling of USAID as another indication of the White House’s disregard for congressional oversight and authority.
The multibillion-dollar foreign military sale is the first arms sale to Israel under the Trump administration, but Israel received billions in weapons sales from the US under the previous White House.
Last summer, the Biden administration approved a massive $20 billion arms sale to Israel, which included more than 50 F-15 fighter jets.
On Tuesday, Trump falsely claimed that he ended a “de facto arms embargo” on Israel from the Biden administration. In reality, former President Joe Biden had a hold last year on one shipment of 2,000-pound bombs over concerns that their potential use by the Israeli military in Gaza endangered Palestinian civilians.
Even after the Biden administration had paused the shipment of 2,000-pound bombs, the White House was working on another $1 billion sale to Israel.
Josh Paul, who resigned from the State Department in 2023 over Biden’s Gaza policy, said circumventing the congressional review process “has essentially given the middle finger to those members and to Congressional oversight.”
“In light of President Trump’s comment just this week, in which he talked about Gaza being a hell and a demolition site, these are the weapons that made it a hell and a demolition site,” said Paul, who founded A New Policy, which advocates for changing US policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflictState Department announces $7 billion arms sale to Israel, circumventing review process
Police operatives attached to the Abagana Police Divisional Headquarters and AVG Operatives, Abagana on 7th February 2025 by 7 pm arrested one Anthony Kosisochukwu Okafor aged 37 years of Adegbe Village, Abagana, Njikoka LGA over the death of his elder brother, Mr Emmanuel Okafor aged 45 years.
The suspect confessed to having engaged the victim in a fight over a heated argument about using foodstuffs in the house. Kosisochukwu was said to have used a stick to pierce the deceased chest. The victim was rushed to the hospital and was confirmed dead by the doctor on duty.
I know he is bragging because of White South Africans, but they will shock him; White South Africans that developed South Africa and made it what it is today will rather support their fellow Whites from other countries than back this black Zulu Mzamzi xenophobes
Veteran Nollywood actor Columbus Irosanga has reportedly died, with the cause of his death currently unknown
Until his passing, he served as a senior lecturer at the University of Port Harcourt, where he taught acting in the Department of Theatre Arts. A native of Okrika, Rivers State, Irosanga was known for his notable film roles in “Isakaba” (2003) and “7 Kilometre” (2015).
Botragelad: What are Arab leaders? 😂 I challenge any Islamist to oppose or attack Israel. You’ll be destroyed, they don’t want that.
Palestine doesn’t exist, never has, so where are you getting this nonsense? The occupiers claiming it should be sent back to where they came from, and the terrorists should be eliminated one by one. This "Palestine" garbage will perish, and anyone pushing that ideology will go down with it.
It's difficult to argue with a misguided, brainwashed and religious bigot that doesn't know anything about geopolitics and world history
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday he has instructed the military to draft a plan to “allow voluntary departure” of Gaza residents from the enclave — days after President Donald Trump’s controversial proposal that the United States “take over” the Strip and remove all the people living there.
“I welcome President Trump’s bold plan, which could enable a large segment of Gaza’s population to relocate to various destinations around the world,” Katz said in a statement. The Israeli plan would allow Gaza residents to depart for “any country willing to receive them,” via land crossings or through “special arrangements for departure by sea and air,” he said.
The White House has since tried to temper parts of Trump’s declaration, which drew condemnation from U.S. foes and allies alike. Palestinians in Gaza have mostly not been able to leave the enclave since the war began in October 2023, with some exceptions such as limited medical evacuations.
This is heartbreaking. The suffering of innocent people, especially vulnerable women and children in such chaos is unimaginable. It’s a painful reminder of the harsh realities of conflict and the urgent need for compassion and justice. My heart goes out to all those affected.
GeneralPula: Are you following the chaos in the USA bro?
The calamity in White House has uploaded trouble on USA soil..
I'm following everything bro, US empire is going down before our eyes with that unhinged man
More than 100 female prisoners were raped and then burned alive during a jailbreak in the Congolese city of Goma, according to the UN.
Hundreds of prisoners broke out of Munzenze prison last Monday, after fighters from the M23 rebel group began to take over the city.
Between 165 and 167 women were assaulted by male inmates during the jailbreak, an internal UN document seen by the BBC says.
The report states that most of the women were killed after the inmates set fire to the prison.
The BBC has not been able to verify the reports.
Goma, a major city of more than a million people, was captured after the Rwanda-backed M23 executed a rapid advance through eastern DR Congo.
The city was plunged into chaos, with bodies lying in the streets and missiles reportedly flying over residential homes.
Footage from last week's jailbreak showed people fleeing from the building as smoke rose in the background. Heavy gunfire could also be heard.
In a separate video, people believed to be the escaped prisoners, filed through Goma's streets.
The UN says at least 2,900 people were killed during the fighting, with 2,000 bodies buried and another 900 still in the city's morgues.
Earlier this week, the rebels announced a ceasefire on humanitarian grounds.
However, the M23 launched a new offensive on Wednesday, sources say, reportedly capturing the mining town of Nyabibwe.
Nyabibwe is about 100 km (60 miles) from Bukavu - the east's second-largest city, and the reported target of the rebels' most recent advance.
The Congolese authorities have enlisted hundreds of civilian volunteers to help defend Bukavu.
Meanwhile, Malawi has announced it will start preparations for a withdrawal of its peacekeeping forces from the country. This follows the killing of three of its soldiers in the fighting around Goma.
They were part of a southern African force, led by South Africa. Although 14 South Africans have been killed, President Cyril Ramaphosa has vowed to keep his forces in the country.
Back in Goma, where residents are adapting to life under the M23, there are fears of a cholera outbreak.
Stephan Goetghbuer, a regional lead from the charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), said: "Access to water has been cut for days, corpses have been lying in the streets and waterborne diseases such as cholera are a real threat.
"Some of our cholera treatment centres are full and have been expanded."
Trump the psychopath and his crazy supporters revel in the miseries of others
Instead of deporting, why aren't they Vetting and Helping those that have been there for years to get their citizenship.
Seems they’re only concerned about the brown ones for now. Patiently waiting to see the flights to European and African countries
Meanwhile I hardly come across Japa thread these days on nairaland, I think it's time all countries tight their immigration laws especially developed countries and make it difficult for foolish trump supporters to travel out.
A U.S. military plane carrying 104 deported Indian migrants arrived in a northern Indian city on Wednesday, the first such flight to the country as part of a crackdown ordered by the Trump administration, airport officials said.
The Indians who returned home had illegally entered the United States over the years and came from various Indian states.
The move came ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington, which is expected next week. U.S. President Donald Trump and Modi discussed immigration in a phone call last week and Trump stressed the importance of India buying more American-made security equipment and fair bilateral trade.
India has cooperated with the U.S. and said it is ready to accept the deported Indians after verification.
New Delhi says it is against illegal immigration, mainly because it is linked to several forms of organized crime, and it has not objected to the U.S. deporting its citizens.
"For Indians, not just in the United States but anywhere in the world, if they are Indian nationals, and they are overstaying or they are in a particular country without proper documentation, we will take them back, provided documents are shared with us so that we can verify their nationality that they are indeed Indians,” India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said last month.
"If that happens to be the case, then we will take things forward. We will facilitate the return to India,” Jaiswal said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier this week the deportation flights were an effective way to stem the flow of illegal migration, which he said is destructive and destabilizing.
The State Department said such deportations send a message of deterrence to other people considering migrating illegally.
India’s junior External Affairs Minister Kirti Vardhan Singh told India’s Parliament that 519 Indian nationals were deported to India between November 2023 and October 2024, citing U.S. government data.
The U.S. government carries out deportations through commercial and chartered flights, he added.
Media reports say there are about 7,25,000 undocumented Indians in the U.S., mainly from Punjab and Gujarat states, and that Indians comprised about 3% of all illegal border crossings in the U.S. in 2024.
The Indian Express newspaper said there were 20,407 undocumented Indians as of November last year who are either facing final removal orders or are currently in detention centers of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Over 2,000 bodies require burial in Goma after Rwanda-backed M23 rebels took over the Democratic of Congo city last week, inflaming a decade-old conflict and humanitarian crisis, Congo's communications minister Patrick Muyaya said late on Monday.
Relative calm has returned to Goma, where the rebel alliance that includes M23 declared a ceasefire for humanitarian reasons starting on Tuesday.
But some residents still reported sporadic shooting and looting and the scale of the civilian cost is still emerging after reports of people caught in crossfire, overwhelmed hospitals and bodies lying on the street.
Muyaya told a news briefing the number of bodies to be buried "gave an overview of massacres committed in the city". Goma, east Congo's largest city and capital of North Kivu province, is home to lucrative gold, coltan and tin mines.
The United Nations said at least 900 people were killed and almost 3,000 injured in days of fighting that led up to its capture.
M23 is the latest in a long line of Rwandan-backed rebel movements to emerge in Congo's volatile eastern borderlands following two successive wars stemming from Rwanda's 1994 genocide. Rwanda denies supporting the well-trained and heavily armed Tutsi-led group.
The escalation last month worsened a humanitarian crisis that has driven hundreds of thousands to seek shelter in Goma after fleeing fighting between M23 and Congolese troops.
More than 700,000 people were displaced in Goma last month, according to the U.N. World Food Programme.
The U.N. has accused both the M23 and the Congolese army of recent human rights abuses, including summary executions and rape. They have not responded to requests for comment
In Goma, aid groups have been helping authorities relieve overflowing hospital morgues and bury bodies amid concerns of disease spreading.
"The land where bodies can be buried in Goma is extremely limited," said Myriam Favier, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross sub-delegation in Goma.
The meeting also had in attendance Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his Deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat.
Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly, on Monday, apologised to President Bola Tinubu for initiating the impeachment process against the former Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, SaharaReporters has gathered.
The apology followed a directive given by the leadership of the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC) of the Lagos All Progressives Congress (APC) during an emergency meeting with the lawmakers at the Lagos House, Marina on Monday night.
GAC is the highest decision-making body of the Lagos APC.
The meeting also had in attendance Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his Deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat.
A source at the meeting disclosed that Tinubu wasn’t pleased with the impeachment move hence his insistence that it be upturned.
Some members of the GAC also accused its leadership of not carrying them along before Obasa’s removal, hence they supported the President’s directive for his reinstatement.
The source further told SaharaReporters that the lawmakers were told to write two apology letters to the President.
The source said, “Members of the GAC after many disagreements among themselves directed the lawmakers to write two apology letters to the President. It is obvious that the lawmakers didn’t want Obasa reinstated but it seems the President really wants him back. Also, GAC members are divided on the matter.
"I want to believe that apart from the reasons the President gave, I think he took that decision to avoid the state plunging into a crisis. Also, the President directed that the former Speaker be reinstated to check the excessiveness of the lawmakers. You know they removed the lawmakers without carrying some leaders of the party along.
"So, they were told to write two apology letters to the President which they instantly wrote. The first letter was to apologise for making the wrong move of impeaching the Speaker without informing the leaders of the party. In the letter, they promised to commute the removal of Obasa to resignation.
"The second letter was written by lawmakers from Lagos West to the President. In the letter, they accepted Hon. Mojisola Meranda as the Speaker of the House and told the President they would be disregarding the zoning formula. They expressed their willingness to allow her complete her term. Out of the 20 lawmakers from Lagos West, 17 signed the letter.”
Obasa was on January 13, 2025, removed by a majority of lawmakers over alleged misconduct, abuse of office, and financial misappropriations.
He was replaced by former deputy speaker, Mojisola Meranda.
Sources earlier told SaharaReporters that the action had led to a crisis within the party’s leadership.
The disagreement among the APC leaders earlier became evident when two GAC members, Senator Anthony Adefuye and Chief Muraina Taiwo, openly opposed Obasa’s removal, describing it as illegal and a sign of disregard for party leadership.
However, their stance was swiftly dismissed by another GAC member, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, who described their comments as childish and inconsequential, urging party leaders to refrain from making hasty public statements on the issue.
The Peoples Gazette on Sunday reported that President Bola Tinubu had instructed members of the Assembly to prepare for the reinstatement of Obasa.
“The president has sent instruction that we should start preparing to let him come back,” a senior Lagos politician had told the online newspaper.
“The president said Obasa will spend only a short time before resigning on his terms.
“We have agreed to let him come back to give him a soft landing that he told us he deserved because of the serious political consequences of allowing this matter to endure,” the politician said, adding that they would have done things differently if they were wielding the power to make such an ultimate decision.
SaharaReporters also learnt that there will be another meeting of GAC and other APC stakeholders in the state to discuss the President’s response to the letters.
A lawmaker informed SaharaReporters that Governor Sanwo-Olu might also be involved in opposing Obasa's reinstatement, in accordance with Tinubu’s directive to temporarily return him to his former position to facilitate a smooth transition.
"Tinubu's instruction does not also sit well with Governor Sanwo-Olu, but he doesn't want to be seen to be challenging the president's authority openly.
"His mutiny is done under the table. A proof of this, is the meeting he had with Mandate members on Sunday where he was honest with them on the stance of Mr President.
"That same day, he met with some lawmakers to encourage them to continue to fight against any plan to return Obasa as Speaker," the source added.
Meanwhile, there is reportedly a disquiet in the camp of those against Tinubu’s order.
"They are not comfortable with the order and are working tirelessly to scuttle it by fair or foul means.
"Political protest has started on Lagos Island where the new Speaker, Meranda, is from. The protest has the imprimatur of some top Lagosians. They want the status quo to be maintained," the source said.
Foreign Affairs › Namibia's 'founding Father' Sam Nujoma Dies Aged 95 by God1000(op): 10:54am On Feb 09, 2025
