The genocide in Namibia

Namibia wants compensation for Germany's genocide

The Namibian government will continue to pressure Germany to pay reparations for the genocide during the colonial years of 1904 to 1908. This is what President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah says according to The Guardian.

In those years, 65,000 and 10,000 people from the Herero and Nama ethnic groups were killed for opposing colonial rule. The figures corresponded to 80 and 50 percent of the then ethnic groups, respectively.

- We do not agree on the final amount, but it is part of the complex negotiations that we and Germany have had since 2013 [...] We will fight until an end goal is achieved, says the president.

In 2021, Germany recognized the genocide and offered over a billion euros as a "gesture of reconciliation", but Namibia declined it and is demanding greater compensation.

First day of remembrance held for Namibian genocide

On Wednesday, Namibia held its first official day of remembrance for the genocide during German colonial rule from 1904 to 1908, reports the AP.

At a ceremony in the parliament garden in Windhoek, candles were lit for the victims, and representatives of the Herero and Nama ethnic groups participated. The date, May 28, was chosen because that was when the Germans closed down concentration camps in the country.

Tens of thousands of people were killed or put in camps, and skulls were sent back to Germany for racist experiments. These have been returned, and Germany has recognized the genocide.

German colonial rule in Namibia lasted between 1884 and 1915. Then the territory was ceded to South Africa until independence in 1990.