The exiled former president Ian Khama is allegedly the target of plans by the Botswana government to arrest and kill him if he returns home.
In an interview last week, Mr. Khama told the AFP news agency that he knew about plots to detain and poison him when he returned from exile in South Africa in 2021. He claimed that in the run-up to the general elections in 2019, the Botswana administration is afraid of his influence. But communication permanent secretary William Sentshebeng called Mr. Khama’s allegations “outrageous and unfortunate” in a statement.
“We regard the claims as politically motivated and with sole intention to tarnishing the good image of Botswana and her government,” Mr. Sentshebeng said.
Elections are scheduled for the following year, and Mr. Khama has pledged to unseat his hand-picked successor Mokgweetsi Masisi, who is now a fierce rival and whom he accuses of endangering democracy. In order to guarantee that Mr. Masisi and his party lose the elections, Mr. Khama stated that he was getting ready to leave for home.
The former leader claimed that he had updated his will and undertaken a full medical check because he was almost certain that he would be arrested within days of arriving. Before handing over power to Mr. Masisi, who was then his deputy, the 70-year-old Khama, a former senior military commander, ruled one of Africa’s top diamond-producing countries for ten years until 2018.
The conflict between him and his replacement began in 2018 when President Masisi began to roll back some important policies that were implemented during Mr. Khama’s administration. President Masisi made amends in January, but the animosity still exists between the two.
Botswana issued an arrest warrant for Mr. Khama in December of last year on the grounds of alleged illegal firearm ownership.