Germany acknowledges it committed ‘genocide’ in Namibia

BERLIN (AA) – Germany has officially acknowledged that it committed a “genocide” against Herero and Nama people in today’s Namibia at the start of 20th century.

“We will now also officially refer to these events as what they were from today's perspective: a genocide,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Friday.

Berlin’s move came after over five-year long negotiations between Germany and Namibia to address their difficult history and the mass murder of tens of thousands of indigenous people during the German colonial rule.

The German government ruled out legally binding reparations for the slaughter of Herero and Nama people between 1904 and 1908, but offered €1.1 billion ($1.35 billion) development aid due to its political and moral responsibility.

Some 60,000 Hereros and 10,000 Nama people were murdered by German colonial troops in southwestern Africa between 1904 and 1908.