'Unprovoked and unwarranted attack' on Botswana condemned by Security Council.

'Unprovoked and unwarranted attack' on Botswana condemned by Security Council

The Security Council has strongly condemned "the unprovoked and unwarranted military attack" by South Africa on 14 June 1985 on Gaborone, Botswana's capital, characterizing it as "an act of aggression" against Botswana and "a gross violation" of its territorial integrity and national sovereignty.

The 15-member Council also condemned "all acts of aggression, provocation and harassment, including murder, blackmail, kidnapping and destruction of property" committed by South Africa against Botswana. It acted unanimously in adopting resolution 568 (1985) on 21 June.

Under other provisions, the Council denounced and rejected South Africa's practice of "hot pursuit" to "terrorize and destabilize Botswana and other countries in the southern African region", and demanded "full and adequate" compensation by South Africa to Botswana for the damage to life and property resulting from such acts of aggression.

The Council affirmed Botswana's right to receive and give sanctuary to the victims of apartheid, and requested the Secretary-General to enter into immediate consultation with Botswana and relevant United Nations agencies on measures to be undertaken to assist Botswana in ensuring the safety, protection and welfare of refugees in that country.

The Secretary-General was also asked to detail a mission to visit Botswana for the purpose of: assessing the damage caused by South Africa's "unprovoked and premeditated acts of aggression"; proposing measures to strengthen Botswana's capacity to receive and provide assistance to South African refugees; and determining the consequent level of assistance required by Botswana.

The Council requested all States and relevant United Nations agencies and organizations urgently to extend all necessary assistance to Botswana.

In a 17 June letter to the Council President (S/17279), requesting a meeting, Botswana's Permanent Representative, Legwaila, J.M.J. Legwaila, cited the "serious situation arising as a result of Southn Africa's military attack" on Gaborone on 14 June.

The Council met twice on 21 June and reviewed, among other documents, a press release concerning the "South African commando attack" on Gaborone, issued by the Office of the President of Botswana on 14 June and transmitted to the Council President in a letter dated the same day (S/17274).

The Botswana press release said that during the raid by the South African Defence Force, 12 persons had been killed and six injured. Some people might have been kidnapped by the raiders. Four houses had been completely demolished during the raid and others had been extensively damaged. The raiders, who appeared to have entered Botswana by road using a number of vehicles, escaped. The act was particularly deplorable considering Botswana's repeated assurances that it did not permit its territory to be used for launching attacks against neighbouring countries, the release stated.

Italty, in a 20 June letter to the Secretary-General (A/40/396-S/17289), transmitted a 19 June declaration by the European Community strongly condemning the South African incursion into Botswana. "This unacceptable action runs counter to the continuation of a dialogue aimed at seeking peaceful solutions to the problems of the region and South Africa itself."

Liberia, in a 20 June letter to the Council President (S/17290), transmitted a letter of the same date from Oliver Tambo, President of the African National Congress of South Africa (ANC), who urged the Council to impose comprehensive and mandatory sanctions against South Africa.

Botswana's view

Gaositwe K.T. Chiepe, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Botswana, said the 14 June invasion of Gaborone by South African commandos was the culmination of a progressively aggressive South African attitude towards Botswana that had deteriorated as agitation for change had intensified inside South Africa.

Botswana had never allowed and would never allow "our vulnerable country" to be used as a base for guerrilla operations against South Africa, and South African commandos had not found "one military camp or centre" in Gaborone. However, Botswana did give political asylum to South African refugees and would do so, regardless of the consequences. "It would be morally repugnant to us to deny hospitality to our fellow men in their flight from racial tyranny", he said.

The murdered "ANC guerrillas" were a 60-year-old man who had emigrated from South Africa in the early 1950s and the holder of a residence permit; a 71-year-old man who came to Botswana in 1981 to spend the remaining days of his life in peace and freedom in exile; a 47-year-old businessman and his social-worker wife who worked for the Ministry of Local Government and Lands; a student at the University of botswana; a Dutch national of Somali origin who worked for a data-processing company; a musician; a secondary school teacher; a young visitor who had been a student in South Africa; two young housekeepers, both Botswana nationals; and a six-year-old child who had been shot to death fleeing for his life. The six wounded were a Dutch national "not even remotely" connected to the ANC; two "innocent Botswana nationals who were shot going about their business"; and three refugees, including a 15-year-old dependent of a refugee. The houses attacked were scattered "all over Gaborone", she went on, and could not have been used as guerrilla bases or nerve centres.

South Africa had violated Botswana's territorial integrity "with the impunity of a modern scientific Goliath". No commando raids against the front-line States would bring South Africa, or the region as a whole, nearer to salvation. Salvation lay solely in ending once and for all the brutalities of apartheid in South Africa.

Pretoria's position

Kurt von Schirnding (South Africa) said South African Foreign Minister R.F. Botha had sent a message to his Botswana counterpart on 20 June, in which he had expressed regret at the loss of innocent life in the South African Defence Force's "operation against ANC targets". Mr. Botha had said that, after the signing of the Nkomati Accord, the ANC had decided to concentrate on Botswana in seeking new bases for launching its terrorist attacks against South Africa. In 1984, the ANC had placed all its members in Botswana on full-scale armed alert, and had established large caches of arms and ammunition there.

Mr. Botha had said that South Africa had repeatedly urged Botswana to curtail the ANC's activities, in particular the planning and execution of terrorist activities in South Africa. Botswana had been asked to take appropriate measures to prevent the infiltration into South Africa from third countries through Botswana. However, Botswana had not been able to reach an acceptable understanding with South Africa on combating acts of terror against South Africa from Botswana. South Africa, therefore, reserved the right to take steps to prevent such acts from being planned and executed from neighbouring States.

Since August 1984, Mr. Botha pointed out, the ANC had been responsible for 35 acts of terror and violence in South Africa, which had been planned and executed from Botswana. During that period six persons had been murdered and extensive damage had been caused to a power station and the properties of South Africans.

Although Botswana had stated that it had limited the ANC to a political office in Botswana, the action of 14 June had confirmed the existence in Gaborone of "operational ANC centres dealing with logistics and the gathering of information for planning and committing violence and sabotage in South Africa". Among those killed in that operation were persons involved in bomb attacks and other forms of violence in South Africa. Further evidence of the violent intentions of the ANC operating from Botswana had been provided by the discovery of a huge arms cache in Gaborone, subsequently confirmed by Botswana. Those facts refuted the claims to refugee status made on behalf of the ANC.

Although South Africa was committed to resolving its differences with its neighbours by peaceful means, it would not hesitate to take whatever action was necessary for the defence of its peoples and for the elimination of "terrorist elements". If the ANC attempted to strike at South Africa, South Africa would strike back--"wherever they may lurk", Mr. von Schirnding said.

Council members

Vinay Verma (India) said the "dastardly military attack" by South Africa on Gaborone "constitutes the latest entry in the grisly catalogue of South Africa's crimes against its independent African neighbours". South Africa's "cowardly and brutal assault" had been "unprovoked, unjustified, premeditated and cold-blooded". Pretoria's forays against its smaller, weaker neighbours and its killing of defenceless people were part of its attempts "to place its own crimes at somebody else's door".

Peter Malcom Maxey (United Kingdom) said South Africa's explanations about its attack on Gaborone were entirely unsatisfactory. South Africa must recognize that a solution to its internal problems would never be found by attacking neighbouring countries. His country deplored the attack, which was utterly indefensible. Botswana threatened no one. In attacking Gaborone, South Africa had made "an incomprehensible as well as a tragic error".

Ahmed Tawfik Khalil (Egypt) said it was ironic that South Africa should call on a "peace-loving, peaceful" State such as Botswana, which had no army, to enter into a "so-called non-aggression pact". The recent South African aggression against Botswana had been committed after a series of threats, which had culminated in the perpetration of a "deliberate abominable act" that could not be justified or explained. The Council should apply the measures provided by the Charter to deter South Africa.

Hans Grunnet (Denmark) said South Africa's attack on Botswana was repugnant because it was directed against a country which did not allow its territory to be used as a springboard for attacks against South Africa. Denmark strongly condemned "this new example of South Africa's reckless conduct". South Africa had little intention of ending its aggression against the front-line States. Pretoria must be brought to understand that it could not continue with impunity to violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of neighbouring States.

Richard Woolcott (Australia) said the raid had been carried out with premeditated violence. South Africa's actions were particularly deplorable because they had taken place at a time when Botswana and South Africa were holding talks on security measures. It would be in South Africa's own interests to respond to the international community's increasing frustration and anger, and abandon its illegal and dangerous policies of seeking to destabilize its neighbours.

Philippe Louet (France) said none of southern Africa's problems could be solved by violence. Armed actions perpetrated in cross-border violence could in no way mitigate the internal tensions caused by the policy of apartheid. Several regional states had demonstrated that they were ready to talk. In good faith, South Africa should respond to their hopes and commit itself to mitigation. It had everything to gain by doing so.

Vassiley Safronchuk (USSR) said South Africa's act of aggression against Botswana had been "carefully planned and carried out in cold blood". Recent events in Botswana and Angola were inseparable parts of the South African policy of "force and pressure, of destabilization and terrorism" against sovereign African States. South Africa's "ruling circles" had come to believe in the impunity of their aggressive actions because they could count on support from the Western Powers. They knew that when it came to a vote the Western Powers would block the adoption of effective measures against South Africa and would protect it from the application of international sanctions.

Basile Laetare Guissou, Minister for External Affairs and Co-operation of Burkina Faso, said: "Sooner or later, with or without the assistance of Pretoria's friends, as a result of Pretoria's increasing aggressiveness, the people of South Africa are going to tear down the apartheid system." The citizens of Botswana had the right to live in peace, as did the citizens of other countries. He hoped that the Council would unanimously adopt a clear position in keeping with Charter principles.

Blaise Rabetafika (Madagascar) said that as long as the apartheid system persisted, with its "train of brutality, massacres of peaceable demonstrators, imprisonment, torture, and elimination of embarrassing witnesses", the ANC had the right to rebel and, if necessary, to resort to the use of weapons to reply to violence and repression. His country demanded that South Africa "not hide behind the fact that no non-aggression pacts exist between itself and certain of its neighbours in order to continue to commit such acts".

Birabhongse Kasemsri (Thailand) said his country fully supported Botswana and strongly condemned South Africa's "lawless action" against that country. Pretoria should desist forthwith from further aggressive acts against the front-line and other sovereign States.

Qian Yongnian (China) was indignant over South Africa's "barbarous acts" in attacking a peace-loving, neighbouring State. South Africa's action was an "open provocation" of the international community and the Council, which should adopt effective measures to end South Africa's "trampling underfoot" the Charter and the norms of international law.

Ricardo Luna (Peru) was concerned over "the constant repetition of actions that every time they are committed make even more difficult the exercise of the legitimate right of the countries of southern Africa to live in peace and in conditions of independence and genuine, legal equality, which will make it possible for them to achieve their well-being in the best possible conditions". South Africa should understand that it was "not ethical or useful to continue obstinately alienating" both its own people and the international community.

Guennadi Oudovenko (Ukrainian SSR) said South Africa was stepping up its acts of aggression against southern Africa. The Council should take effective comprehensive measures against Pretoria, including those provided for in Chapter VII of the Charter. Responsibility for the acts of aggression committed by Pretoria was shared by its "powerful Western protectors and defenders".

Warren Clark (United States) condemned the South African attack on Gaborone. Botswana and South Africa had affirmed their willingness to take steps to control cross-border violence. He hoped that mechanisms put in place would be utilized and that the dialogue under way before the Gaborone raid would be resumed. The resolution contained language or formulations the United States did not regard as appropriate. Nothing in the text implied that action under Chapter VII of the Charter was contemplated.

D.H.N. Alleyne (Trinidad and Tobago) said the brutal South African attack provided further proof of the "barbarity of the abhorrent racist regime in Pretoria". The use of armed force in Gaborone by the South African army was an act of aggression and a blatant violation of Botswana's sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence. That act was reprehensible in light of Botswana's repeated assurances that it did not permit its territory to be used for launching attacks against neighbouring countries.

Other speakers

Marcus M. Kofa (Liberia), speaking on behalf of the African Group, said the attack on Botswana was one of a series of acts of intimidation against the front-line States with the object of forcing them to abandon their duty to give sanctuary to those who were fleeing from the brutal suppression of human rights in South Africa, as well as of establishing hegemony over southern Africa and discouraging support for the region's total liberation. Pretoria's Western friends and allies should bring their moral and political will to bear on it to end its attacks on neighbouring States and to prevent a racial bloodbath in southern Africa.

Uddhav Deo Bhatt, Vice-Chairman of the Special Committee against Apartheid, said South Africa's "naked aggression" against civilian targets in Gaborone must be condemned, and punitive measures must be adopted to meet the breach of peace and the threat to international peace and security emanating from that "wanton act". On behalf of the Special Committee, he addressed a special appeal to Western Council members to join in the international community's demands for effective, punitive action against South Africa. The Council's failure to adopt comprehensive mandatory action under Chapter VII of the Charter had led to "an unprecedented defiance" by Pretoria of the United Nations and of world public opinion. South African was involved in State terrorism against innocent civilians and economic targets.

Other speakers represented Lesotho, the United Republic of Tanzania, Swaziland, Benin and the Latin American, Arab and Eastern European Groups.