Wednesday, August 4, 1999 Published at 17:38 GMT 18:38 UK
Analysis: Uprising in the Caprivi
BBC Africa reporter Caroline Hawley looks at the background to the secessionist rebellion in the remote Namibian province.
The Caprivi Strip is a legacy of colonialism, a long finger of territory that pokes eastwads out of northern Namibia, and runs along the borders with Angola and Botswana towards Zambia and Zimbabwe.
It is the result of a territorial swap agreed between Britain and Germany in 1890. Britain acquired Zanzibar in east Africa, while Germany got the slice of land that later became known as the Caprivi Strip - giving it access to the Zambezi river, along the border of what is now Zambia.
Since independence in 1990, senior members of Swapo have questioned the loyalty of the Caprivians, who have largely allied themselves with the main Namibian opposition party, the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance.
Accusations of neglect
The Caprivians, for their part, accuse the government of neglecting the area - which was described by a recent United Nations report as Namibia's poorest region.
The Namibian security forces acted swiftly, arresting many suspected supporters of the new movement. More than 2,000 Caprivians fled into Botswana, including Mr Muyongo.
Many of them had returned over the past few months. But beneath the apparent calm in Caprivi, the separatists had clearly been busy.
Their attacks on several targets in Katama Mulilo took many Namibians by surpise.
Though relatively small in number, the Caprivi secessionists have shown they are a force to be reckoned with - armed and trained, according to the government, by Unita rebels across the border in Angola.