Country: Namibia
With the rapid rise of the interstate conflicts, spurred by centennial political disagreements on national borders, states’ national security is threatened to erode in territorial disputes, conflict spillover, national movements or insurgent interference with state boundaries. The Republic of Namibia is an independent state that seeks to prosper through friendly political and economic relationships, for which reason, diplomatic relationships with its neighboring countries are highly desired. Notwithstanding, the problem of the future of state’s boundaries limit the development of political and economic partnerships and alliances in the area due to unsettled negotiations over states’ borders, which impede the establishment of peaceful relationships required for raising up to the standards of the 21st century politics. Namibia’s boundaries shared with its neighboring countries South Africa and Botswana is a matter of national security, which endangers the sustainability of its residents living at the borders with these states, but also the overall security of the nation.
The unsettlement of the national boundaries may further lead to new attempts to limit the authority of Namibia over its rightfully possessed territories, weakening the future state boundaries’ stability. Currently, Namibia’s residents who are relying on the natural resources provided by the bordering territories are highly dependent on fishing or grazing on the Orange River, bordering with South Africa, respectively on harvesting, cropping and fishing in the Kasikili/Sedudu Island, shared with Botswana. The residents of the Republic of Namibia experienced intense cruelty in the past centuries, as a result of the European powers suppressing its territory. First, under European domination, this state faced property deprivation, abuse on their communities, cultures, even the imposition of the European religion by force, changing the locals’ spiritual beliefs. Furthermore, during the German protectorate, which started in 1884 and lasted by the end of the First World War, Namibia experienced massive extinction, heralding Auschwitz genocide. Namibia was further mandated to South Africa, pressuring its people to face yet other hardships, imposed by the apartheid laws. The fate of Namibia has been sealed by its conquerors, with Germany and Great Britain signing the Helgoland Treaty to draw the state’s boundaries and their spheres of influence, which are now the object of interstate disputes. Following treaties and legislations sealed by other powers centuries ago keeps Namibia an irrelevant past, which is contrary to its further looking prospects of peaceful modernization political goals. It is, therefore, imperative to secure the future of Namibia’s boundaries, so that the residents of this country to be able to prosper, going further instead of living in an obsolete past, looking at new opportunities instead of laagering in instabilities that threaten their security.
In accordance with the above – stipulated concerns entrenched in the current reality, the Republic of Namibia seeks to redefine the boundaries legislation, in a way which will reflect the 21st century bilateral relations with its neighbors and the daily living necessities of the bordering residents of the states involved. As independent states, Namibia, South Africa and Botswana should work together, under the coordination of Disarmament and International Security Committee, to establish a joint exploitation of the boundary territories, dissolving like this the cross-border tensions or international conflicts in Africa. The future of Namibia’s boundaries is a subject directly related to its independency, and therefore it is essential to draw clear boundary lines, to protect and defend them through policies and regulations that reflect the needs for national stability in today’s unpredictable international context.
