Combatants of the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) have been engaged in heavy fighting with the South African occupation forces in Namibia since the beginning of the year.
At the end of 1986 South African commanders claimed that they were on the brink of defeating PLAN and bringing about a 'successful counter-revolution' in Namibia. General Meiring, the officer commanding the South West Africa Territory Force (SWATF) estimated that there were only 35 guerillas operating in Namibia at the end of November.
However, by March this year SWATF was claiming to have killed over 300 PLAN combatants in northern Namibia and South African military commanders admitted that there had been a 'marked increase' in the intensity of the war. A SWAPO communique stated that while the official figures amounted to an admission that the war had dramatically escalated, the figure for the number of fighters killed was 'pure fabrication'.
In January alone PLAN had carried out 66 combat actions, resulting in the death of 40 South African soldiers for the loss of 14 SWAPO fighters. Two South African helicopters and four military aircraft had been shot down by PLAN anti-aircraft fire, the SWAPO statement said.
SWAPO had maintained continuous military activity during 1986, although fighting was most intense in the first half of the year. In August attacks were launched on the military bases and garisons at Oshakati and Ruacana while in November three smaller bases were bombard ed. A SWAPO communique said that 18 South African troops had been killed during an assault on Eenhana, which was repeatedly attacked during 1986. A total of 45 enemy soldiers had been killed during November, mostly in land- mine incidents.
During December SWAPO stated that it shot down two helicopter gunships and attacked two army posts in the Ovambo bantustan. In January a further attack was launched on Ruacana. Petrol stations used by the South African forces were bombed at Katima Mulilo in the Caprivi Strip and Gobabis in the east of the country.
By February, with the rains providing good conditions for guerilla movement in the north, it was clear that a major SWAPO offensive was underway. Daily clashes were being reported in the Ovambo bantustan and white farmers to the south were put on alert and mobilised into Area Force Units. Rumours circulated that the guerillas were mounting a cavalry attack in order to speed up their southwards advance, but these were quickly discounted.
As well as ambushes, skirmishes and attacks on patrols, PLAN guerillas carried out a number of sabotage actions, cutting power supplies from the hydro-electric installations at Ruacana and planting a bomb at the Oshakati branch of Barclays Bank. In March the bases at Eenhana, Nkongo and Oshigambo were attacked. By early April the first reports of PLAN operations in the white farming areas south of the bantustans bordering Angola were being made. PLAN guerillas were active in the Tsumeb area sabotaging communications facilities.
