People's Liberation Army of Namibia
| People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1962–1990 |
| Country | Namibia, Angola, Zambia, Tanzania |
| Allegiance | South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO) |
| Type | Paramilitary |
| Nickname(s) | PLAN |
| Commanders | |
| Ceremonial chief | Sam Nujoma |
| Notable commanders |
Sam Nujoma, Tobias Hainyeko, Dimo Hamaambo, Peter Nanyemba, Solomon Huwala, Peter Mweshihange, John Nankudhu |
The People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) was the active military wing of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), the major liberation movement of Namibia during the Namibian War of Independence founded in 1962 by Sam Nujoma as the South West Africa Liberation Army (SWALA). It sought independence for the territory (then South West Africa, now Namibia) from South African rule. It was founded with a mainly Marxist agenda anticipating the development of a socialist state. This would be achieved through the leadership of a revolutionary vanguard consisting of professional revolutionaries, who would lead the working class in the class struggle. PLAN was integrated into the Namibian Defence Force upon independence in 1990.
Before the formation of PLAN as the armed wing of SWAPO, the people of Namibia lived under repressive laws put in place by the South African government, which led to resistance from the people. SWAPO led most of the resistance campaigns. As a result, the campaigns gained momentum. SWAPO used peaceful methods of demonstration that yielded no benefits and the South African government was able to ignore or suppress them. The South African government responded by restricting the party's leadership and forced many of them into exile. Large numbers of SWAPO cadres were punished, some dismissed from schools and jobs, while others faced expulsion from urban areas and restricted to live only on the country-side.
The Old Location Massacre that took place in December, 1959, carried out by South Africa military force, was the major turning point. After the massacre, the SWAPO's leadership came to realize that their approach to the oppressor had little impact. In 1960 majority of SWAPO senior leaders went into exile and started to loby for military support. This led to the establishment of an armed wing, known as the South West Africa Liberation Army (SWALA), an armed revolt immediately began. SWALA was renamed to PLAN in 1966.
The first Commander of PLAN was Tobias Hainyeko, who was killed in 1967 in Kwando River in the Caprivi strip by the South African Defence Force. He was replaced by Dimo Hamaambo, who held the position until independence was gained in 1990. Solomon Huwala was the Deputy Commander of PLAN and served as Chief of Security concurrently. Huwala was later accused of the arrest and abduction of many members of PLAN and SWAPO.
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