of recent recognition Due to Germany that the country carried out mass slaughter in the former colony of Namibia at the beginning of the last century, relatives do not go far enough. Representatives of the two affected populations have rejected the agreement between the German and Namibian governments on this matter, saying that the 1.1 billion euros that the Germans will make available over the next 30 years is insufficient.
Between 1904 and 1908, German colonial forces murdered tens of thousands of people in Namibia, leaving 80 percent of the Herero and Nama minority expelled or exterminated. Germany and Namibia negotiated with each other for six years about the German recognition of the genocide. Representatives of both minority groups were also present.
A council of Herero and Nama leaders now writes in a statement that they are involved in the negotiations too late to properly consult their supporters. The council is still happy with Germany’s genocide recognition, but believes that reparations should be renegotiated.
Offensive
The German government is emphatically making the 1.1 billion euros available not as compensation, but as a contribution to the development of the African country. According to the Herero and Nama leaders, the amount is “objectionable, unacceptable and an insult to our very existence”. They demand that the planned ceremony to sign the agreement between the two countries be postponed.
The Namibian government says it is surprised about the position of the council of Herero and Nama leaders. “The council was involved in the entire negotiation process,” the government negotiator told the German news agency DPA. The negotiator does not yet know how it will continue. “We need to rethink the negotiations. I think Germany was aware of the divisions in this country.”
–
