Namibia Demands Germany Pay Genocide Reparations

Namibia continues pressing Germany through direct negotiations demanding reparations for the colonial genocide of the Herero and Nama tribes in the early 20th century. Germany has already admitted the atrocity and apologized. The financial settlement and a long-term plan for reconciliation now sits at the center of ongoing talks.

Namibia genocide reparations Germany Swakopmund colonial city — ***The city of Swakopmund in Namibia — a reminder of Germany’s colonial past in the region, now at the heart of an ongoing reparations dispute. (Photo: Flickr / ER Bauer)***

Namibia’s Top Lawyer Speaks Out on Colonial-Era Genocide Reparations

Namibia is not stepping back from its demand that Germany pay reparations and the country’s top legal official has made that crystal clear. Attorney General Festus Katuna Mbandeka stated that Namibia firmly backs direct negotiations with Berlin as the best path toward justice for colonial-era crimes committed against its people.

Mbandeka made these remarks on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum one of the most prominent legal gatherings in the world. He confirmed that Namibia’s original demands rested on three pillars acknowledgment of the genocide, a formal apology, and financial reparations. Germany has already moved on the first two.

The Reparations Question Remains Unresolved

“Now the question of reparations remains what the Germans can do to atone for their crimes. Discussions on their scale are ongoing in Namibia and Germany. Though I think no amount of money can compensate for those sufferings and lost lives,” said Mbandeka.

The attorney general noted that both sides Namibia and Germany are actively searching for legal frameworks to structure both reparations and reconciliation. The goal is not a single symbolic gesture but a sustained and meaningful process.

A Plan for Lasting Memory and Reconciliation

“We need to hold events to reconcile Germany and Namibia and to preserve the memory of those events. All of this must not be a one-time act but a series of events,” Mbandeka concluded.

A Dark Chapter from the Colonial Past

Between the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries Germany colonized the territory now known as Namibia, which was then called German South-West Africa. Between 1904 and 1908, German colonial troops killed tens of thousands of members of the Herero and Nama tribes. Many historians consider these massacres to be the first genocide of the 20th century.

The 14th St. Petersburg International Legal Forum took place in the Russian city from June 24 to 26.