German politician accuses Berlin of ‘avoiding’ Herero demands

GERMANY is paying more development aid to Namibia than to other countries in order to avoid possible reparation claims for colonial-era atrocities, a visiting German Member of Parliament alleged yesterday.

Hueseyin Aydin, who is an MP in the German Bundestag (Parliament) for the opposition Leftist party, claimed that the German government was avoiding officially acknowledging what he called Germany’s “first genocide” – committed in 1904 against the Hereros during their uprising against the colonial yoke. Nearly 600 million euros (about N$3,6 billion at present exchange rates) from Germany have flowed into Namibia since Independence, Berlin’s highest per capita allocation to a developing country.However, the German government has so far rejected paying compensation to the Hereros.It says its development aid is aimed at benefiting all Namibians and not specific ethnic groups.”Germany cannot dodge its historic responsibility for the loss of some 80 per cent of the Herero population and 50 per cent of the Namas in this country a century ago,” Aydin told a media briefing in Windhoek.”The historic proof that it was genocide is there.Germany pays more in development aid to Namibia because it expects the Namibian Government not to ask Berlin for reparations on behalf of the Hereros and Namas,” the German MP claimed.”The Namibian Government is also the government of the Hereros and Namas and it should demand reparations from Germany on their behalf,” the opposition MP, who is a member of Germany’s Turkish minority group, said.According to him, there was a similar ongoing case in Europe, were Armenians were demanding reparations from the Turkish government for past atrocities and this demand was backed by several European countries as well as the European Parliament, Aydin added.Some five years ago, the Hereros sued the German government and some German companies for altogether US$ 4 billion in American courts.Yesterday, the German politician told reporters that he had talked to several Herero chiefs during his one-week visit to Namibia, including Paramount Chief Kuaima Riruako, and they confirmed to him that they would not opt for cash, but rather for development projects in their communities.”Since Germany officially apologised to the Herero and Nama people at the centenary commemoration in 2004, these communities have waited for a dialogue and discussions on such projects and nothing happened, they are frustrated,” Aydin said, while Chief Riruako was sitting next to him at the press briefing.The German MP confirmed that Berlin had announced a N$160 million Special Initiative last year to be used over ten years for development projects among Hereros and Namas.”I discussed this with Deputy Prime Minister Libertina Amathila,” Aydin stated, adding that he was aware that Amathila had recently visited those communities to hear from them what projects would be feasible and submitted a report to Cabinet.”But this is not reparation,” he said emphatically.Amathila’s report has not been made public yet.”The Deputy Prime Minister informed me that the position of Namibia is that the Herero reparation demands are not the demands of the Namibian Government,” the German MP said.”When I am back in Germany next week I will table a motion in our Parliament to debate the Herero genocide in order to put pressure on the German government to pay reparations.”This would raise public awareness and enable German civil rights organisations to lobby the government on the issue.Nearly 600 million euros (about N$3,6 billion at present exchange rates) from Germany have flowed into Namibia since Independence, Berlin’s highest per capita allocation to a developing country.However, the German government has so far rejected paying compensation to the Hereros.It says its development aid is aimed at benefiting all Namibians and not specific ethnic groups.”Germany cannot dodge its historic responsibility for the loss of some 80 per cent of the Herero population and 50 per cent of the Namas in this country a century ago,” Aydin told a media briefing in Windhoek.”The historic proof that it was genocide is there.Germany pays more in development aid to Namibia because it expects the Namibian Government not to ask Berlin for reparations on behalf of the Hereros and Namas,” the German MP claimed.”The Namibian Government is also the government of the Hereros and Namas and it should demand reparations from Germany on their behalf,” the opposition MP, who is a member of Germany’s Turkish minority group, said.According to him, there was a similar ongoing case in Europe, were Armenians were demanding reparations from the Turkish government for past atrocities and this demand was backed by several European countries as well as the European Parliament, Aydin added.Some five years ago, the Hereros sued the German government and some German companies for altogether US$ 4 billion in American courts.Yesterday, the German politician told reporters that he had talked to several Herero chiefs during his one-week visit to Namibia, including Paramount Chief Kuaima Riruako, and they confirmed to him that they would not opt for cash, but rather for development projects in their communities.”Since Germany officially apologised to the Herero and Nama people at the centenary commemoration in 2004, these communities have waited for a dialogue and discussions on such projects and nothing happened, they are frustrated,” Aydin said, while Chief Riruako was sitting next to him at the press briefing.The German MP confirmed that Berlin had announced a N$160 million Special Initiative last year to be used over ten years for development projects among Hereros and Namas.”I discussed this with Deputy Prime Minister Libertina Amathila,” Aydin stated, adding that he was aware that Amathila had recently visited those communities to hear from them what projects would be feasible and submitted a report to Cabinet.”But this is not reparation,” he said emphatically.Amathila’s report has not been made public yet.”The Deputy Prime Minister informed me that the position of Namibia is that the Herero reparation demands are not the demands of the Namibian Government,” the German MP said.”When I am back in Germany next week I will table a motion in our Parliament to debate the Herero genocide in order to put pressure on the German government to pay reparations.”This would raise public awareness and enable German civil rights organisations to lobby the government on the issue.