Cassinga day
The Cassinga Day is one of a total national twelve holidays in Namibia . The holidays are set out in the Public Holidays Act 26 of 1990. Cassinga Day takes place on May 4th of the year.
Political background
The day commemorates the Cassinga massacre when South African armed forces bombed a refugee camp run by the South West African people's organization SWAPO near Cassinga on Angolan territory . Almost 1,000 civilians were killed in the process. Hundreds were deported to South West Africa (Namibia's name during its foreign administration by South Africa from 1918 to independence in 1990).
The massacre took place at the same time as a special session of the UN General Assembly in New York in early May 1978. There they agreed to support SWAPO, since the South African policy of encroachment was perceived as illegal under international law . In return, on the morning of May 4, 1978, the South African Air Force prepared itself in the occupied area to carry out Operation Reindeer . Means Canberra-bomber were cluster bombs , by means Buccaneer fighter aircraft bombs dropped on the refugee camp. Mirage jet fighters dropped missiles and phosphor bombs . Transport machines dropped paratroopers . Since the attack came suddenly, counter-resistance was only possible to a completely inadequate extent.
Cassinga and his victims occupy a central place in the memory of Namibia's liberation struggle. Earth from the graves of Cassinga was brought to the Heroes Cemetery near Windhoek , the central memorial of the Namibian liberation struggle.
The first Namibian government took this event as an occasion for a national political holiday on May 4th each year.
literature
- Daniela Schetar, Friedrich Köthe: Namibia. Guide for individual travel and discovery. 2nd completely revised and expanded edition. Reise Know-How Verlag Hermann, Markgröningen 1999, ISBN 3-89662-321-4 .