People's Liberation Army of Namibia
| People’s Liberation Army of Namibia | |
|---|---|
 PLAN insurgents on the march in People’s Republic of Angola, 1980s. | |
| Active | 1962-1990 |
| Country |  South West Africa |
| Allegiance |  South West Africa People’s Organisation |
| Type | Guerrilla organisation |
| Engagements | South African Border War |
| Commanders | |
| Founder | Sam Nujoma |
The People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) was the armed wing of the South West Africa People's Organisation. PLAN fought against the apartheid South African Defence Force and South West African Territorial Force during the South African Border War. In its history, PLAN used guerrilla tactics and as well as a large recruitment network in rural South West Africa to gain popularity. [1][2][3][4]
Border War[change | change source]
During the Border War most of PLAN’s activities includes mine warfare and acts of sabotage. At first PLAN lacked any units, and the operations were carried out by political exiles who spent time living in refugee camps in neighbouring country such as People’s Republic of Angola. MPLA helped PLAN launch raids inside South West Africa itself. By the end of the war, PLAN had 32,000 members with three battalions of troops equipped with heavy weapons.
References[change | change source]
- ↑ Peoples Liberation Army of Namibia, or PLAN (army of SWAPO) - Britannica Online Encyclopedia
- ↑ Peter, Abbott; Helmoed-Romer Heitman; Paul Hannon (1991). Modern African Wars (3): South-West Africa. Osprey Publishing. pp. 5–13. ISBN 978-1-85532-122-9.[permanent dead link]
- ↑ Dale, Richard (2014). The Namibian War of Independence, 1966-1989: Diplomatic, Economic and Military Campaigns. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers. pp. 74–77, 93–95. ISBN 978-0786496594.
- ↑ Camp, Steve; Helmoed-Römer, Heitman (November 2014). Surviving the Ride: A pictorial history of South African Manufactured Mine-Protected vehicles. Pinetown: 30 Degrees South. pp. 19–22. ISBN 978-1928211-17-4.