Staff Reporter.
Germany for the first time on Friday recognised it had committed genocide in Namibia during its colonial occupation, with Berlin promising financial support of more than €1 billion (R16.8 billion) to aid projects in the African nation.
“We will now officially refer to these events as what they are from today’s perspective: genocide,” said Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in a statement welcomed as a “first step” by Windhoek.
The agreement came after more than five years of negotiations between the two countries over events in the territory held by Berlin from 1884 to 1915.
German colonial settlers killed tens of thousands of indigenous Herero and Nama people in 1904-1908 massacres labelled the first genocide of the 20th century by historians and poisoning relations between Namibia and Germany for years.
“The acceptance on the part of Germany that a genocide was committed is the first step in the right direction,” Namibian President Hage Geingob’s spokesperson Alfredo Hengari said.
It is the basis for the second step, which is an apology, to be followed by reparations,” he added.
While Berlin had previously acknowledged that atrocities occurred at the hands of its colonial authorities, it has repeatedly refused to pay direct reparations.
“In light of the historical and moral responsibility of Germany, we will ask forgiveness from Namibia and the victims’ descendants” for the “atrocities” committed, said Maas.
In a “gesture to recognise the immense suffering inflicted on the victims”, the country will support the “reconstruction and the development” of Namibia via a financial programme of €1.1 billion euros, he said.
The sum will be paid over 30 years, according to sources close to the negotiations and must primarily benefit the descendants of the Herero and Nama.
Yet Maas stopped short of referring to reparations, saying the payment did not open the way to any “legal request for compensation”.
Source: Agence France-Presse (AFP).