Image source - franceculture.fr
The German Empire was the colonial power in what was then called German South West Africa from 1884 to 1915. During that time, its military forces brutally put down several rebellions, killing tens of thousands of people. German General Lothar von Trotha, who was sent to quell a Herero uprising in 1904, was particularly known for his extreme ruthlessness. Historians generally accept that up to 65,000 of roughly 80,000 Herero people living in the area at the time, and at least 10,000 of the roughly 20,000 Nama people, were killed.
Germany apologized after a century on Friday (28 May 2021) for its role in the slaughter of Herero and Nama tribes people in Namibia and officially described the massacre as genocide for the first time, as it agreed to fund projects worth over a billion euros.
Namibia's President Hage Geingob welcomed the "historic" move, but Herero paramount chief Vekuii Rukoro dismissed a deal agreed by the two governments as "an insult" because it did not include payment of reparations.
Germany will fund 1.1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) of reconstruction and development projects in Namibia, which German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said would directly benefit the genocide-affected communities.
Namibia's president Geingob welcomed the move as a "step in the right direction"
"The apology on the part of Germany and acceptance there was a genocide is in itself historic and speaks to the moral responsibility Germany has towards Namibia and the communities affected by the first genocide of the 20th century," President Hage Geinhob's spokesperson Alfredo Hengari said to press