Namibia Demands Reparations From Germany Over Colonial Genocide

Namibia has reaffirmed its demand for Germany to pay reparations for the genocide of the Herero and Nama people, describing Berlin’s formal apology and development aid as insufficient.

Attorney General Festus Katuna Mbandeka renewed the call this week, stating that while Germany has acknowledged the atrocities, it has not provided meaningful financial compensation. “No amount of money can compensate for the suffering and lost lives,” Mbandeka said, emphasising that reparations and deeper acknowledgment of the genocide’s lasting damage are still owed.

German colonial forces killed an estimated 65,000 Herero and 10,000 Nama between 1904 and 1908, wiping out roughly 80 percent of the Herero population and half the Nama population. Survivors were forced into concentration camps where thousands died from starvation, disease and forced labour.

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In 2021, Germany formally recognised the killings as genocide and issued an apology. Berlin offered €1.1 billion (about N$22.5 billion) in development aid spread over 30 years, money it specifically refused to call compensation. Many Herero and Nama descendants were never consulted on that deal and have rejected it ever since.

Descendants are now demanding N$17 trillion in reparations, calling the bilateral negotiations inadequate and exclusionary. The Okandjoze Chiefs Assembly for Genocide says the current process has failed to deliver justice. Germany maintains the funds are a “gesture of recognition” rather than reparations, possibly to prevent further legal claims.

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has committed to continuing engagement with Germany until the matter is brought to a just conclusion. Mbandeka stressed that efforts toward reconciliation and preserving historical memory must involve a sustained series of initiatives rather than a single action.

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