Mediation mandates for Namibia’s independence (1977–1978, 1988)

Abstract

Though much has been written about the mediation efforts that helped take Namibia to independence in 1990, none of this writing focuses on the mandates that informed the process. This article discusses the two main phases of international mediation in the conflict over Namibia (1977–1978 and 1988), under the United Nations’ overall mandate and the mandates of the various parties. The failure to include the liberation movement, the South West Africa People’s Organization, in the 1988 negotiations almost derailed the independence process. The eventual success came partly because the mandates enabled ad hoc, multiparty mediation to be carried out on a fairly flexible basis.