Namibia says it will ask Germany to renegotiate the payment agreement reached last year for the genocide of the Ovaherero and Nama peoples.
What’s happening?
In May 2021, the German government formally acknowledged colonial-era atrocities for the first time. Between 1904 and 1908, it is estimated that 60,000 Ovaherero, or more than 80% of the ethnic group’s total population in the region, and 10,000 Nama, or 50% of its population, were killed.
Germany announced financial assistance to descendants totalling more than €1 billion ($1 billion; £870 million). However, the opposition has criticized the agreement as flawed. Some of the affected communities were allegedly not consulted.
What the people want
According to a descendant, The German government needs to come and tender a sincere apology. “The money is simply to express our displeasure with what they did to us. And we’re not interested in peanuts. We want trillions of dollars. We want trillions of dollars to heal our wounds.”
Mr. Kaapehi claims that his ethnic group has lost a century of traditions, culture, and livelihoods, which he claims cannot be quantified. And he believes His family’s poverty was exacerbated by the theft of land and natural resources.
Activists believe it is only fair that the German government purchase ancestral lands now held by the German-speaking community and return them to Ovaherero and Nama descendants.
Going forward
According to Namibian National Assembly Vice-President Nangolo Mbumba, the request to review the agreement was made in July following discussions in parliament.
The Namibian government is awaiting a response from the German side on the proposal to restart negotiations and carry the members of the affected communities along.