Book Description

A Trust Betrayed: There are few peoples who have suffered as long and as bitterly as the Namibians. For the past century they have been a minority people under the domination of an alien occupying power: first the Germans, and then the South African regime - itself an oppressor of its own majority people - who have illegally occupied Namibia for over 70 years. The Namibian people have been murdered, imprisoned and tortured, their country has been turned into a battleground for contending armies, their land and natural resources have been stolen and exploited. Yet Namibia has been on the international agenda for many years, first under a League of Nations mandate and later as a UN Trust Territory. It has been the subject of numerous resolutions from the UN and other international bodies, and yet no international political action has brought nearer any tangible moves towards true independence. Instead the South African government has procrastinated, manipulated and perverted any attempts to reach a peaceful, yet just, settlement. The Namibians, Minority Rights Group report 19, gives a detailed account of Namibian history and the present situation. Written by Peter Fraenkel and Roger Murray, it contains new sections on the international diplomacy which has surrounded the Namibian question, internal political developments, the war and human rights abuses. It focuses on evidence of the exploitation of Namibian land, resources and labour by outsiders. It reports also the continued resistance of Namibians to South African domination and their support for the liberation movement of SWAPO, and its allies, in that struggle. An invaluable guide to the complexities of a horrifying situation, The Namibians is essential reading for the media, academics, students, aid agencies and all interested in international affairs and current events.