1994-1999: CLA founding and uprising
The CLA was founded in 1994, seeking Caprivi secession, associated with Mishake Muyongo's leadership from 1998.[1]
On 2 August 1999, the CLA attacked Katima Mulilo; the uprising was suppressed within days, with 14 reported dead and 132 arrests.[2]
· Other
Caprivi uprising, 1999
The CLA launched coordinated attacks seeking Caprivi secession, suppressed within days by Namibian government forces.
2003-2017: the treason trial
The main treason trial concluded in December 2015 with 30 convictions and 79 acquittals among 132 defendants; further proceedings continued through 2017.[3]
· Legal decision
Caprivi treason trial High Court verdict, 2015
A 16-year trial process concluded with 30 convictions and 79 acquittals among 132 original defendants.
Sources for this page
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
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1.
Claim: The Caprivi Liberation Army (CLA), a Namibian rebel and separatist organisation seeking secession of the Caprivi Strip (a region mainly inhabited by the Lozi people, and later renamed the Zambezi Region), was established in 1994; since 1998, it has been associated with the leadership of Mishake Muyongo, who was expelled from the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance of Namibia over his support for Caprivi secession, and who led the United Democratic Party (UDP), the CLA's political wing.
- Caprivi Liberation Army (Wikipedia) link, Founding and leadership section. Source record
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2.
Claim: On 2 August 1999, the CLA launched coordinated attacks on the army base, border post, police station, state radio station and airport in Katima Mulilo, the Caprivi region's provincial capital; in the resulting fighting between rebel and government forces, 14 people were reportedly killed, including civilians caught in the crossfire. The Namibian government declared a state of emergency in the eastern Caprivi Strip and suppressed the uprising, subsequently arresting 132 alleged participants on charges including high treason and murder. This bundle does not narrate the attacks' military details.
- Caprivi conflict (Wikipedia) link, August 1999 attacks and government response sections. Source record
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3.
Claim: The main Caprivi treason trial, involving 132 indicted defendants facing a combined 275-278 charges, began in 2003 and concluded with a High Court judgment in December 2015 that convicted 30 defendants of high treason, nine counts of murder and 90 charges of attempted murder while acquitting 79; 22 defendants died in custody during the more-than-decade-long proceedings. A separate, smaller trial of 13 main accused resulted in ten sentences of 30-32 years in 2007, eight of which were overturned by the Supreme Court in 2013 and required retrial; a further, separately tried "Third Caprivi treason trial" defendant received a 10-year sentence in 2017. This bundle presents these outcomes factually and does not adjudicate the guilt or innocence of individual defendants.
- Caprivi treason trial (Wikipedia) link, Defendants, verdicts and subsequent proceedings sections. Source record
Printed from https://independenceatlas.com/movements/caprivi-zambezi/history · last substantive update 24 September 2026.