‘Guerrillas kidnap 119’

Press, 24 February 1978, Page 5

‘Guerrillas kidnap 119’

NZPA-Reuter Windhoek (Namibia) Guerrillas have kidnapped 119 students from a school in Namibia (South-West Africa) near the Angolan border, the territory’s administrator (Mr Marthinus Steyn) has said. Mr Steyn, who was speaking at a reception for the South African Foreign Affairs Minister (Mr Pik Botha) in Windhoek, said about 80 guerrillas took the children from their school

on Tuesday night at Odtbo,| about 450 km north of Wind-' hoek. Brigadier Victor Verster,! divisional commissioner ofi police in Namibia, said later that the police were investigating. He confirmed that some students escaped, but said it was not yet known how many. Mr Botha is in the territory for talks after an abor-l tive-New York meeting earlier this month with five! Western powers — the] United States, Canada,! France, Britain, and West) Germany — on the future of! Namibia. South Africa administers! the territory under an old League of Nations mandate!

jin defiance of the United ■{Nations. South African troops in . Namibia killed at least HI lb 1 a c k guerrillas and •|wounded a number after a - guerrilla attack on Sunday Ilin which two white soldiers , I were killed, defence headt’quarters in Pretoria has said. ! The military communique ■ also announced the deaths ol •'two more white soldiers. • One died in hospital as a re■{suit of wounds received in ;i Sunday’s attack, and the other was killed during thy I follow-up operation, it said. ■ Angola-based guerrillas of {the South-West Africa (People’s Organisation arc fighting to end South lAfrica’s rule in the territory.