XXᵉ siècle
Namibia and southern Africa
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
Namibia’s transition toward independence gained formal momentum in 1976, when South Africa accepted a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for its withdrawal from Namibia and free elections under UN control. The Turnhalle Conference later agreed on eventual independence. The process unfolded amid continued South African economic influence over mining, agriculture, communications, and the emerging government.
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Le récit
By January 1976, South Africa had withdrawn from its direct intervention in Angola after the expansion of Cuban troop involvement made continuation increasingly difficult. In the same month, the Security Council unanimously called for South Africa to withdraw its illegal administration in Namibia and for free elections under United Nations control. These decisions placed Namibia’s political future within an international framework rather than leaving it solely to South African administration.
The South African prime minister accepted the Security Council decision, formally marking the end of the country’s long attempt to incorporate the mandated territory. In August 1976, the Turnhalle Conference agreed on eventual independence. Yet the end of colonial rule did not eliminate South Africa’s interest in the political shape of the emerging government, and the transition therefore remained closely connected to regional power struggles.
Namibia entered the transition with an economy deeply tied to South Africa. Mining supplied a major share of tax revenue, while South African interests were prominent in major mines, capitalist farming, agricultural processing, exports, railways, and communications. This economic dependence constrained the political choices available during the movement toward independence, even though Namibia retained a degree of freedom that neighboring Mozambique, Lesotho, Botswana, and Swaziland had not inherited at independence.
XXᵉ siècle
Namibia and southern Africa
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
Namibia’s transition toward independence gained formal momentum in 1976, when South Africa accepted a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for its withdrawal from Namibia and free elections under UN control. The Turnhalle Conference later agreed on eventual independence. The process unfolded amid continued South African economic influence over mining, agriculture, communications, and the emerging government.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
By January 1976, South Africa had withdrawn from its direct intervention in Angola after the expansion of Cuban troop involvement made continuation increasingly difficult. In the same month, the Security Council unanimously called for South Africa to withdraw its illegal administration in Namibia and for free elections under United Nations control. These decisions placed Namibia’s political future within an international framework rather than leaving it solely to South African administration.
The South African prime minister accepted the Security Council decision, formally marking the end of the country’s long attempt to incorporate the mandated territory. In August 1976, the Turnhalle Conference agreed on eventual independence. Yet the end of colonial rule did not eliminate South Africa’s interest in the political shape of the emerging government, and the transition therefore remained closely connected to regional power struggles.
Namibia entered the transition with an economy deeply tied to South Africa. Mining supplied a major share of tax revenue, while South African interests were prominent in major mines, capitalist farming, agricultural processing, exports, railways, and communications. This economic dependence constrained the political choices available during the movement toward independence, even though Namibia retained a degree of freedom that neighboring Mozambique, Lesotho, Botswana, and Swaziland had not inherited at independence.