People protest over the Namibia 1904 -1908 genocide [Photo: USNews]
Namibia says it will ask the German government to renegotiate the genocide reparations deal it agreed last year.
In May 2021, Germany officially acknowledged committing genocide during its colonial occupation of Namibia.
It is estimated that 100,000 locals were killed between 1904 and 1908.
As reparations, Germany then announced financial aid worth 1.1 billion dollars to the descendants.
However Namibia now says it wants to hold new discussions on the matter.
Namibian National Assembly’s Vice-President Nangolo Mbumba reportedly said the request to review the deal was made in July following discussions in parliament.
Esther Muinjangue, a deputy minister and head of the National Unity Democratic Organization Opposition party, says that she was committed to fighting for justice for the affected people.
She said she intended to raise the matter at a forthcoming conference in Germany next week for a renegotiation of the deal.
“What we are saying is that the process was not fair, because members of the affected communities were not represented. So, what we are saying is start the process again, because it is not something new,” said Esther.
Last year, Germany noted that the money will be paid out over 30 years through spending on infrastructure, healthcare and training programmes benefiting the impacted communities.
The atrocities committed have been described by historians as “the forgotten genocide” of the early 20th Century, in what was then known as German South West Africa.
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