The emergence of a violent separatist movement in the Caprivi region of northeastern Namibia suggests UNITA readiness to widen its war by undermining Angola's allies in the region. On August 2, Caprivi rebels temporarily took control of the main town in the region but were eventually driven back by government forces. Some reports indicate that the rebels attacked from a base inside Zambia. There has been no official confirmation of this, and other possible sites for rebel bases include sections of Angola controlled by UNITA and Botswana. Coincidentally, Botswana agreed to let an estimated 1,200 Caprivi refugees stay in the country on the same day as the rebel attack. The refugees, which included much of the Caprivan political leadership, had fled a Namibian government crackdown in the fall of 1998.