Koevoet

Apertheid-era South African counter-insurgency unit in Namibia.

The Koevoet units were formed a decade ago by the South African authorities to track down and eliminate guerrillas, who crossed the border from bases in Angola. The units, made up of black Namibians commanded by whites from the South African police, operated from armored cars with heavy weapons.

Koevoet drew complaints for using tough interrogation methods on civilians to learn the whereabouts of guerrillas. Because of the outcry, the Koevoet troopers were ostensibly reassigned earlier this year to conventional police duties, but in fact their units remained intact.