World Pretoria obstructing change in Namibia South African attacks charged Heavy fighting is reported in Namibia only days after the April 1 deadline for removal of South Africa’s occupation forces, giving rise to earlier fears expressed that Pretoria will do everything possible to retain actual control of its former colony. This backgrounder, which appeared in the U.S. People’s Daily World on March 24, shows how the South African sce- nario is planned: As the beginning of the UN-supervised election period in Namibia approaches, . there is growing evidence that South Africa is moving to prevent a free and genuine election on Nov. 1. South Africa, the colonial power. which ruled Namibia (formerly South West Africa) for 74 years, is striving to retain neo-colonial control and threatens to wreck chances of an independent government that would shake off that control. In accordance with UN Resolution 435, Pretoria’s authority ends April 1, when a UN Transition Advisory Group (UNTAG) starts its monitoring role leading up to the Nov. | vote. A South African administrator- general, Louis Pienaar, will share authority with UNTAG, after he first has served his Pretoria bosses trying to rig the election rules. Virtually all observers eee that the South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO) not only will win a majority in Parliament, but can also get the two-thirds majority enabling it to write the new state’s constitution. SWAPO has gained mass support by leading both armed and legal struggles for liberation for over 20 years. Under the terms of the UN resolution, South Africa must withdraw from Namibia its own armed forces which have been used to suppress SWAPO and terrorize the Black population. These troops are to be trans- ferred to South Africa. However, a so-called South West African Territorial Force, also used against SWAPO, will be retained. It has been beefed up by the conscription of young Namibians from some of the bantustan-like tribal areas. In addition, a South West African police force remains at Administrator-General Pienaar’s disposal.Although it has to reduce it numbers from 8,300 to 7,000 by April 1, it A new proposal by South West Africa People’s Organization leader Sam Nujoma that SWAPO guerrillas be allowed to regroup and move into Angola under UN escort formed the basis of a new accord this week as SWAPO, Angola and Cuba sought to head off South Africa’s attempts to derail the United Nations Namibia peace plan. Under the new provisions of the new accord, worked out in UN-sponsored meetings among South Africa, Angola and Cuba, SWAPO guerrillas were to gather in churches designated by the UN and to move from there to Angola under UN escort. South Africa has given them until April 15 to be out of Angola. Nujoma said Sunday that he had made the proposal in an effort to keep intact the Namibian independence pro- cess, which has been threatened by the violence initiated by South Africa troops. From the first day of Namibia’s nom- inal independence, April 1, South Africa launched a wave of attacks against SWAPO supporters, including unarmed civilians. Troops of the 181st Battalion of the South African Defence Forces stormed SWAPO allies celebrating independence in Okalongo and Okhange, killing 40. people. South Africa has insisted that its troops have acted only against armed guerrillas but evidence provided by the Namibian Council of Churches has has been integrating into its ranks the viciously terrorist Koevoet commando units, which were supposed to have been disbanded. There are also reports that members of ‘the South African-backed UNITA bands in Angola are being shifted into Namibia disguised as refugees, so they can be registered to vote and used to terro- rize legitimate voters. The build-up of apartheid police and other armed forces is but one aspect of shown that South African troops have also acted against unarmed civilians. SWAPO information minister Hidipo Hamutenya said April 6 from Luanda that South African claims of casualties went far beyond the number of its guer- rilla fighters killed. “They (South African troops) are busily butchering civilians,” he charged. SWAPO has also charged that its members have been thrown into mass graves by South Africa soldiers, a charged borne out in photographs dis- tributed worldwide by Reuters News Agency. Nujoma and Zimbabwe’s foreign min- ister, speaking on behalf of the Non- Aligned Movement, had called on UN Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuel- lar to take decisive action to stop the violence and to strengthen the UN peacekeeping force in the country. Under the plan worked out to implement UN Resolution 435, 4,600 UN troops were to be stationed in the country but as of April 10, still only 1,000 had arrived. The Non-Aligned Movement also demanded an explanation for the action by the UN April 3 in giving the South African Battalion the authority to help bring “law and order” to the country. The UN Transition Group Should have been more concerned with removing South Africa’s 110,000 troops than with strengthening its military presence, Nujoma said. South Africa’s activities. Apartheid-regime money has been poured into Namibia to finance 11 political parties to compete with SWAPO. These parties were formed among various tribal groups that had been used in the past to form a puppet government in — Namibia. An extensive vote-buying opera- tion has been mounted in an effort to at least keep SWAPO from getting the two- thirds majority it needs to shape the new constitution. Prior to the April 1 deadline, Pienaar issued a proclamation setting the voting age at 21 and the minimum residence period at one year. This would. disqualify large numbers of Namibian youths who form much of SWAPO’s mass base, while it would qualify fake citizens that South Africa has been moving in from both Angola and South Africa. SWAPO is demanding that the minimum voting age be 18 years as in most countries, and is insisting on a four-to-five year residency period. Discriminatory apartheid legislation 1s supposed to be scrapped with the imple- mentation of the UN plan. However, Pien- aar has insisted that this applies only to legislation “which would hamper free and open elections” — an approach which would leave many apartheid laws in effect. South Africa’s attitude was demon- strated whemit went ahead with an election March | for an all-white legislative assem- _ bly, even though that assembly must be ~ dissolved when UN Resolution 435 comes — into effect April 1. The move merely served to whip up resistance by the white minority in Namibia to the loss of its dominant posi- tion. One of the most ominous reports con- _ cerns preparations for the creation of a — South African-directed bandit-style contra _ force, along the lines of UNITA in Angola and RENAMO in Mozambique, to try to destabilize and independent SWAPO govern- ment. SWAPO officials say that the apar- theid army is setting up arms caches in Namibia for use by such bandits, and that select members of collaborating tribes are being trained in UNITA camps in Angola. Two men who served in the apartheid puppet Turnhalle government are menti- oned as having been chosen to head such bands: Moses Katjiuongua and Meshack Muyongo, the latter a renegade SWAPO _ member. And, on March 1, Kosie Pretorius, chair of the largest Whites-only party, the © National Party, said he and his followers would take up arms to defend white privi- leges and segregation. ‘Thus, international support every step of _ the way will be critical to Namibia’s inde pendence, both achieving and defending it. Vote tightens ARENA’s grip on EI Salvador By RAUL LARULL SAN SALVADOR (Internews) — Pres- ident-elect Alfredo Cristiani and his: vice- president, Francisco Merino, received their credentials April | authorizing them to gov- ern until May, 1998 as a result of elections here March 19, toppling President Napo- leon Duarte’s Christian Democratic Party which held power since 1984. Theoretically, Cristiani, 41, a millionaire coffee-grower, and his Nationalist Republi- can Alliance (ARENA) government do not take office until June 1. Reality, however, seems to understand little theory. For the past two weeks, the political landscape has seen an almost paralysed Christian Democratic government and an extremely dynamic ARENA party playing a role associated with power — a power which, it must be said, ARENA actually holds. In fact, ARENA began governing a bit earlier. Since March, 1988, it has held a majority in parliament as well as having the largest number of mayors. across the country, including in the capital. Through its major- ity ARENA could stop any government legislation as was seen in its ability to hold up the budget last year for three months, and its removal of the country’s attorney- general and his oe ae as byan ARENA appointee. Slowly, this pater of power accumu- lated prior to the March 19 vote, and begin- 8 « Pacific Tribune, April 17, 1989 ning on June 1, this ultra-conservative and nationalistic alliance, created in 1980, will hold all consitutional powers in this country of six million. This process has some sectors worried who are critical.of ARENA’s past links to the terrorist death squads and bloodbaths of the early 1980s. But current critics are not . looking that far back: they are pointing to today’s examples. Immediately after ARENA’s triumph . two. weeks ago, military police and members of the army’s First Infantry Bri- gade, based in San Salvador, posted troops at entrances to union offices, the university campus, people’s organizations and farmer co-operatives. At the offices of El Salva- dor’s largest union, the National Union of © fj Salvadorean Workers (UNTS), soldiers searched everyone, including the media, as they came and went. At least nine members of the. Coalition Convergencia Democratica, which placed fourth in last month’s vote, were arrested and taken to army barracks. The arrested were members of the Christian Social Popu- lar Movement, whose leader, Ruben Zam- ora, told the media that this was an example of what could be expected TOD} the new government. While numerous arrests hase occurred since election day, some critics charge the campaign actually began last February with the arrests and assassination of two union leaders. One group which issued this warn- PRESIDENT-ELECT ALFREDO CRISTIANI terror campaign. ing, Salvadorean Women’s Association (ADEMUSA), had its offices searched last week by the national police, and equipment and documents seized. At a press confer- ence’ following the raid) ADEMUSA _ charged that a campaign of intimidation was underway against people’s movements which gained influence during the elections, linking this with the assassination of three ... his election accelerated right-wing © journalists on voting day and other attacks ~ i against ue media. ? Other cases of itiidation in the past © week include death threats received by the © Salvadorean driver fora Dutch TV reporter killed covering the eléctions. The driver, © Sonia Anaya, fled into exile in Costa Rica, ~ escorted by a Dutch diplomat.