German MPs clash over colonial genocide

Descendants of the victims in Namibia are demanding direct compensation as Berlin rejects legal liability under its $1.23 billion development pledge

German lawmakers have clashed over demands for reparations for the killing of tens of thousands of Africans in colonial-era Namibia in what is widely regarded as the first genocide of the 20th century.

The Bundestag debated opposition motions on Wednesday seeking recognition, an apology and redress for the Ovaherero and Nama communities. Both proposals were referred to the German Foreign Affairs Committee for further consideration.

Germany ruled present-day Namibia from 1884 to 1915. Between 1904 and 1908, its forces waged an extermination campaign against the Ovaherero and Nama, driving families into the desert and imprisoning survivors in concentration camps. Estimates suggest that up to 80% of the Ovaherero and about half the Nama died.

Berlin recognized the atrocities as genocide in 2021 and pledged €1.1 billion ($1.23 billion) over 30 years for reconstruction and development. It, however, explicitly ruled out legal compensation claims arising from the arrangement.

READ MORE: Namibian descendant calls for justice over colonial-era genocide

Christian Democratic Union lawmaker Thomas Rachel criticized the German government’s prolonged failure to confront the atrocities.

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“I am still ashamed today in the face of the indescribable suffering inflicted on people at that time… One might note that it took a long time before the German federal government recognized the horrific atrocities in Namibia as genocide,” Rachel told the legislature.

Green MP Jamila Schafer urged parliament to “explicitly recognize the genocide against the Ovaherero and Nama, as well as colonial crimes committed against the Damara and San, and ask their descendants for forgiveness.”

Alternative for Germany MP Ronald Glaser opposed the €1.1 billion commitment, arguing that Berlin had no legal obligation to pay. He called for a commission of historians to investigate the events.

The Left’s motion sought recognition of legal liability and comprehensive reparations paid directly to descendants, alongside measures to return land, looted cultural property and human remains.

Ovaherero and Nama representatives have rejected development funding as a substitute for reparations and say they were excluded from negotiations. Germany maintains that community representatives were involved on the Namibian side.

The dispute comes amid growing African and Caribbean demands for redress for slavery and colonial crimes. The African Union has designated 2026–2035 a reparations decade and established expert bodies to develop a common continental position and legal strategies. The Caribbean Community has revised its ten-point reparations plan, seeking measures including monetary compensation, debt cancellation and investment in health and education.

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On March 25, the UN General Assembly adopted a Ghana-led resolution declaring the trafficking and racialized enslavement of Africans “the gravest crime against humanity” and calling for reparations. The measure secured support from 123 countries, including Russia and China, while the US, Israel, and Argentina voted against the resolution, and the UK and all the EU states abstained.