Botswana denies Khama murder plot

Botswana's Government has dismissed claims that it plans to arrest and kill exiled former President Ian Khama if he returned home. In an interview last week, Khama told the AFP news agency that he had information about plans to arrest and poison him upon arriving home from South Africa, where he has been exiled since 2021. BBC News reports that he claimed Gaborone fears his influence ahead of next year's general elections. However, government spokesperson William Sentshebeng dismissed Khama's claims as ‘outrageous and unfortunate’. ‘We regard the claims as politically motivated and with sole intention to tarnishing the good image of Botswana and her government,’ Sentshebeng said. Khama has vowed to dethrone his handpicked successor Mokgweetsi Masisi, now a bitter rival whom he accuses of being a threat to democracy.