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Germany to Pay Namibia $1.3Bln in Recognition of 20th Century Genocide

© AP PhotoA skull from Germany on display in the city of Windhoek, Namibia, Tuesday, Oct 4, 2011. Hundreds of Namibians welcomed home the skulls of ancestors taken to Germany for racist experiments more than a century ago. The skulls are "testimony to the horrors of colonialism and German cruelty against our people," Prime Minister Nahas Angula said at an airport ceremony, "The Namibian nation accepts these mortal remains as a symbolic closure of a tragic chapter."
A skull from Germany on display in the city of Windhoek, Namibia, Tuesday, Oct 4, 2011. Hundreds of Namibians welcomed home the skulls of ancestors taken to Germany for racist experiments more than a century ago. The skulls are testimony to the horrors of colonialism and German cruelty against our people, Prime Minister Nahas Angula said at an airport ceremony, The Namibian nation accepts these mortal remains as a symbolic closure of a tragic chapter. - Sputnik International, 1920, 28.05.2021
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BERLIN (Sputnik) - German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Friday welcomed the conclusion of the talks with Namibia on recognizing the killings committed by German troops in the country in the early 20th century as genocide, saying that Berlin will pay 1.1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) as compensation.

"I am happy and grateful that we were able to reach an agreement with Namibia on the common approach to the darkest chapter in our shared history. Five years later, [Special Envoy] Ruprecht Polenz and his Namibian counterpart Zed Ngavirue were able to conclude the negotiations, which they conducted on behalf of our two governments and the request of our two parliaments", Maas said in a statement, adding that the German government will offer the African country "a special programme for reconstruction in development of 1.1 billion euros".

© AP Photo / Sina SchuldtGerman Foreing Minister Heiko Maas addresses the media during a joint press conference with his counterpart from Hungary, Peter Szijjarto, as part of a meeting in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, June 5, 2018
Germany to Pay Namibia $1.3Bln in Recognition of 20th Century Genocide - Sputnik International, 1920, 28.05.2021
German Foreing Minister Heiko Maas addresses the media during a joint press conference with his counterpart from Hungary, Peter Szijjarto, as part of a meeting in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, June 5, 2018

Per the request of the Namibian side, the initiatives included in the programme will cover land reform issues, such as purchase and development of land, agriculture, rural infrastructure and water supply, as well as professional training. These projects will be implemented in addition to the bilateral cooperation, which will also be extended.

"Now we will officially call these events as what they were from today's point of view: a genocide. In light of the historical and moral responsibility of Germany, we are asking forgiveness from Namibia and the descendants of the victims", Maas added.

Namibia existed as a German colony from 1884 to 1915. From 1904-1907, German colonial troops killed tens of thousands in response to a rebellion by the Herero and Nama peoples. The two countries were in talks about recognising those actions as genocide since 2015.

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