Historical independence

History: Namibia

From the 1978 UN settlement plan through over a decade of delayed implementation, a UN-supervised 1989 election, and independence in 1990.

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The League of Nations mandate and the SWAPO insurgency

South Africa received a League of Nations mandate over South West Africa on 17 December 1920. It refused to place the territory under UN Trusteeship after the Second World War and continued administering it as a mandate; the International Court of Justice ruled in a 1971 advisory opinion, following earlier proceedings in 1950 and 1966, that this continued occupation was illegal.[1]

· Agreement

League of Nations mandate over South West Africa, 1920

South Africa received a League of Nations mandate over South West Africa on 17 December 1920 and, after refusing to place the territory under UN Trusteeship following the Second World War, continued to administer it; the International Court of Justice ruled in 1971 that this continued occupation was illegal.

SWAPO's armed wing began an insurgency against South African rule in 1966, a conflict that continued alongside the Angolan Civil War until the 1988 tripartite agreement and 1989 settlement implementation. Published casualty figures are disputed and not resolved to a single count.[2]

· Conflict episode

South African Border War begins, 1966

SWAPO's armed wing began an insurgency against South African rule in 1966, opening a war that continued until the 1988 tripartite agreement and 1989 settlement implementation.

The 1978 UN settlement plan

On 29 September 1978 the Security Council adopted resolution 435, approving a UN plan for Namibian independence through elections supervised by a UN Transition Assistance Group (UNTAG), with the stated objective of ending South Africa's administration and transferring power to the Namibian people.[3]

· Agreement

UN settlement plan for Namibia (Resolution 435), 1978

The Security Council approved a UN plan for Namibian independence and established the UN Transition Assistance Group (UNTAG) to supervise a transition to independence through free elections.

Implementation was delayed for over a decade amid regional disputes. It finally began on 1 April 1989, following Security Council decisions in January and February 1989 to implement resolution 435 "in its original and definitive form."[4][5]

The 1989 election and certification

Through 1989 the Security Council repeatedly demanded compliance with the settlement plan, including the disbandment of the paramilitary Koevoet unit, amid reports of intimidation of civilians.[6] The Constituent Assembly election was held from 7 to 11 November 1989 with turnout above 97%; according to a secondary reference account, SWAPO won 57.33% of the vote and 41 of 72 seats, and the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance won 21 seats.[7][8]

· Election

Namibian Constituent Assembly election, 1989

Namibians elected a 72-member Constituent Assembly from 7 to 11 November 1989, in a UN-supervised vote with turnout above 97%; SWAPO won 57.33% of the vote and 41 seats, and the Secretary-General's Special Representative certified the process free and fair.

On 20 November 1989 the Security Council welcomed the election's "successful conclusion," noting it had been certified free and fair by the Secretary-General's Special Representative and had paved the way for the Constituent Assembly and early independence.[9]

Independence and United Nations membership

The Constituent Assembly adopted Namibia's constitution without opposition on 9 February 1990.[10] Namibia became independent shortly after midnight on 21 March 1990, when the South African flag was lowered, the Namibian flag was raised, and UN Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar administered the oath of office to President Sam Nujoma.[11]

· Declaration

Independence of Namibia, 1990

The Constituent Assembly adopted Namibia's constitution without opposition on 9 February 1990, and Namibia became independent shortly after midnight on 21 March 1990, when the South African flag was lowered, the Namibian flag was raised, and the UN Secretary-General administered the oath of office to President Sam Nujoma.

The Security Council recommended Namibia's UN membership on 17 April 1990, and the General Assembly admitted the Republic of Namibia as the 160th member state on 23 April 1990.[12][13]

Sources for this page

Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.

  1. 1.

    Claim: South Africa received a League of Nations mandate over South West Africa on 17 December 1920. After refusing to place the territory under UN Trusteeship following the Second World War, it continued to administer it; the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion on its status in 1950, ruled on contentious South West Africa cases in 1966 (dismissed on procedural grounds), and in a 1971 advisory opinion declared South Africa's continued presence in the territory illegal.

    • South West Africa (Wikipedia) link, Mandate period and International Court of Justice sections. Source record
  2. 2.

    Claim: Published casualty figures for the 1966-1989 South African Border War (the SWAPO insurgency and South African counter-insurgency campaign) are disputed: South African Defence Force deaths are cited as roughly 2,365-2,500, or as approximately 11,335 total SADF casualties by one broader tally, while SWAPO/PLAN deaths are cited between roughly 2,016 and 5,000; these figures overlap with, and are not cleanly separable from, Angolan Civil War casualties, and no single authoritative count exists for the Namibian insurgency alone.

  3. 3.

    Claim: On 29 September 1978 the Security Council approved the Secretary-General's report on a settlement of the Namibian situation, reiterated that its objective was "the withdrawal of South Africa's illegal administration from Namibia and the transfer of power to the people of Namibia with the assistance of the United Nations," and established the UN Transition Assistance Group (UNTAG) to help ensure "the early independence of Namibia through free elections under the supervision and control of the United Nations."

    • United Nations Security Council, Security Council resolution 435 (1978) (United Nations, 29 September 1978) link, operative paras. 1–3. Source record
  4. 4.

    Claim: On 16 January 1989 the Security Council decided that "1 April 1989 shall be the date on which implementation of resolution 435 (1978) will begin," and requested the Secretary-General to arrange a formal cease-fire between the South West Africa People's Organization and South Africa.

    • United Nations Security Council, Security Council resolutions 629 (1989) and 632 (1989) (United Nations, 16 February 1989) link, resolution 629, operative paras. 1–2. Source record
  5. 5.

    Claim: On 16 February 1989 the Security Council decided to implement resolution 435 (1978) "in its original and definitive form to ensure conditions in Namibia which will allow the Namibian people to participate freely and without intimidation in the electoral process."

    • United Nations Security Council, Security Council resolutions 629 (1989) and 632 (1989) (United Nations, 16 February 1989) link, resolution 632, operative para. 2. Source record
  6. 6.

    Claim: In August 1989 the Security Council, concerned at reports of widespread intimidation and harassment of the civilian population by Koevoet elements of the South-West Africa Police, demanded "the disbandment of all paramilitary and ethnic forces and commando units, in particular Koevoet"; in October 1989, one week before the scheduled election, it noted "with deep concern" that not all provisions of resolution 435 were being fully complied with and repeated its demand for strict compliance.

    • United Nations Security Council, Security Council resolution 640 (1989) (United Nations, 29 August 1989) link, preamble and operative para. 2. Source record
    • United Nations Security Council, Security Council resolution 643 (1989) and related decisions (United Nations, 31 October 1989) link, preamble and operative paras. 5–6. Source record
  7. 7.

    Claim: The Namibian Constituent Assembly election was held from 7 to 11 November 1989, with more than 97% of the registered electorate voting and only a small proportion of spoilt ballots.

    • United Nations Peacekeeping, UNTAG (United Nations Transition Assistance Group) fact sheet (United Nations) link, fact sheet text. Source record
  8. 8.

    Claim: According to a general-reference account of the November 1989 Constituent Assembly election, SWAPO won 57.33% of the vote and 41 of the 72 seats, and the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA) won 21 seats, with the remaining seats divided among smaller parties; a primary UN document giving this exact breakdown was not found in this research pass.

    • 1989 Namibian Constituent Assembly election (Wikipedia) link, Results section. Source record
  9. 9.

    Claim: On 20 November 1989 the Security Council, in a statement by its President on behalf of its members, welcomed "the successful conclusion of the elections in Namibia, certified by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General as free and fair, thus paving the way for the convening of the Constituent Assembly and the early independence of Namibia."

    • United Nations Security Council, Security Council resolution 643 (1989) and related decisions (United Nations, 31 October 1989) link, presidential statement of 20 November 1989. Source record
  10. 10.

    Claim: The Constituent Assembly adopted Namibia's constitution without opposition on 9 February 1990; it entered into force at independence on 21 March 1990.

  11. 11.

    Claim: Namibia became independent shortly after midnight on 21 March 1990, when the South African flag was lowered, the Namibian flag was raised, and UN Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar administered the oath of office to Sam Nujoma as President.

    • United Nations Peacekeeping, UNTAG (United Nations Transition Assistance Group) fact sheet (United Nations) link, fact sheet text. Source record
    • African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD), The historic contribution of the United Nations to the resolution of conflicts in Southern Africa (ACCORD) link, article text. Source record
  12. 12.

    Claim: On 17 April 1990 the Security Council, having examined the Republic of Namibia's application for UN membership, unanimously recommended to the General Assembly that it be admitted.

    • United Nations Security Council, Security Council resolution 652 (1990) (United Nations, 17 April 1990) link, operative paragraph. Source record
  13. 13.

    Claim: The UN General Assembly decided to admit the Republic of Namibia to membership in the United Nations at the 1st plenary meeting of its eighteenth special session on 23 April 1990, following the Security Council's recommendation of 17 April 1990; Namibia became the 160th UN member state.

    • United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly resolution S-18/1: Admission of the Republic of Namibia to membership in the United Nations (United Nations, 23 April 1990) link, operative paragraph and meeting note. Source record

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