02/03/2022
NAMIBIA SITS ON FENCE
By CHARMAINE NGATJIHEUE and SOPHIE TENDANE
The Namibian government on Monday abstained in a Ukraine-related vote taken by a United Nations (UN) body in Geneva.
The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Monday voted to urgently debate the Russia-Ukraine crisis tomorrow.
This debate is to also consider a resolution supporting a probe into alleged human rights violations.
Minister of international relations and cooperation Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah yesterday said the voting session was not a resolution, but rather a motion for Thursday's debate, and Namibia opted to abstain and assess the situation.
“Why not abstain? I am saying we are monitoring and evaluating the situation, and I want to draw [your attention] to Article 96 of the Namibian Constitution. That is what is guiding us in handling issues such as this,” she said.
Article 96 is the foundation of Namibia's foreign policy of non-alignment.
It is often summarised as Namibia being a friend to all and an enemy to none.
Ukraine's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Yevheniia Filipenko, on Monday spoke on the death and suffering caused by the invasion.
The Ukraine delegation also made available a draft resolution, asking for it to be considered during an urgent debate, and called for an international probe into human rights violations stemming from Russia's military action on 24 February.
According to the UNHCR, 47 council members took part in the vote, and 29 voted in favour of the debate, while 13 countries, including Namibia, abstained.
Meanwhile, five countries – Russia, China, Eritrea, Cuba and Venezuela – voted against the request for an urgent debate.
Apart from Namibia, the other abstaining nations were Senegal, Gabon, Cameroon, India, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Mauritania, Pakistan, Somalia, Uzbekistan, Sudan, and the United Arab Emirates.
The UNHRC is set to have an urgent debate tomorrow at which the UN body may accept a draft resolution proposed by Ukraine demanding a high-level probe into alleged violations by Russia dating back to 2014.
The vote came just after the UN Security Council approved a resolution that called for an emergency session of the General Assembly to discuss the Ukraine issue, as there was a lack of consensus among permanent members. Russia has previously vetoed the 25 February draft resolution authored by the United States (US) and Albania.
Namibia last year in May abstained from voting on the adoption of the United Nations resolution called 'The responsibility to protect and the prevention of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity'.
A total of 115 countries voted in favour of this, and 15 against.
RUSHING TO GET OUT
Martha Frans, speaking on behalf of Namibian students in Ukraine, yesterday said all nations are rushing to move out of Ukraine.
“The situation is bad for everyone and the trains are full.
“Everyone wants to get out. People should just understand that if you are told to wait because old people or kids have to go in first, just wait,” she said.
Frans said so far she has not received complaints of Namibians being mistreated.
“Those who are saying it's about colour or racism, I think they just don't understand the situation and the order of how to go out.
“If you are told to wait, I don't think that's racism.
“Sometimes we can take things out of proportion, but our people are strong and they will survive,”she said.
