Preparing the ground for independence.

• Position: United Nations Transition Assistance Group in Namibia

A UN advance party arrived in Windhoek in the morning of 17 February, just a few hours after the Security Council adopted resolution 632, giving the go-ahead to the Namibia independence process. Throughout the next two weeks, while authorization of its financing was sought in the General Assembly, preparations to deploy UNTAG continued. When approval was given on 1 March, UNTAG Commander General Prem Chand was already in the Namibian capital, along with police, legal, electoral and administrative officers. A team from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was already in place. Troop contributors were being contacted.

Accompanied by his aides, General Chand undertook an extensive inspection of the countryside, travelling over 6,000 kilometres by air and road, touring first in the north, then in the southern region. On his return to Windhoek, he began formulating a detailed plan for monitoring withdrawal of South African forces and demobilization of local forces.

The Security Council in February had decided to initially send to Namibia 4,650 soldiers, leaving a 2,350-strong reserve on stand-by in their home countries. A force of 7,500 had been authorized in 1978 by the Council in its historic resolution 435 containing the UN independence plan for Namibia.

On 1 March, Under-SecretaryGeneral for Special Political Affairs Marrack Goulding told the press in New York that contingency plans had already been drawn up for the rapid deployment of that reserve should the need arise.

By 8 March, some troops from the Kenyan, Finnish, and Malaysian battalions were in Namibia, as were Australian and British logistic units. Two days later, an equipment airlift began.

UNTAG troops and observers continued to arrive steadily throughout March in what was a remarkable show of international co-operation. An Aeroflot flight carried military observers from Togo, Czechoslovakia and Poland. An Air Ethiopia charter flew in observers from Malaysia, Bangladesh, India...