A century after German rule, genocide compensation deal divides Namibia

Despite being the first genocide of the 20th century, the 1904-1908 massacre of the indigenous Herero and Nama peoples by German colonial troops in Namibia remains a little-known chapter in history. It was not until May of this year that Berlin officially acknowledged its responsibility for the atrocities. Report from our regional correspondents.

In 1904, the German Empire or Second Reich had occupied southwestern Africa, now known as Namibia, for two decades. That year, the Herero and Nama peoples rose up against the settlers, who were taking their land and livestock from them.

A campaign of ethnic extermination followed: an estimated 80 percent of the Herero and 50 percent of the Nama were massacred when the Germans retaliated. In all, tens of thousands of people died, some of them in concentration camps.

Make amends for the unthinkable

For the past three decades, Germany has tried to make amends for atrocities. After 15 years of negotiations with Namibia, Germany has recognized its role in the genocide and has agreed to pay compensation of more than 1.3 billion euros in aid to the country and the descendants of the victims.

For the latter, the aid to spend more than 30 years is not enough, since the trauma remains raw and its loss is impossible to quantify.

The situation is also complicated by the fact that many people descended from German settlers still live in Namibia, as do the descendants of those born from the rape of Herero women by German soldiers. Reconciliation of all Namibians, regardless of origin, is critical, as our team reports.