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Germany recognizes its colonial crimes in Namibia as genocide
CGTN
A photographer takes photos of skeletal remains of victims who died in the German genocide during the colonial times at a memorial service held in Windhoek, capital of Namibia, March 7, 2014. /Xinhua

A photographer takes photos of skeletal remains of victims who died in the German genocide during the colonial times at a memorial service held in Windhoek, capital of Namibia, March 7, 2014. /Xinhua

More than a Century after Germany was a colonial power in Namibia, the German government officially recognized the atrocities committed against the Herero and Nama ethnic groups as genocide, the Federal Foreign Office announced on Friday.

After more than five years of negotiations, Germany and Namibia reached an "agreement on how to deal jointly with the darkest chapter of our common history," said Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in a statement.

The German Empire was the colonial power in what is today Namibia from 1884 to 1915. German rule over this area was marked by numerous rebellions by native Africans which were violently oppressed.

The colonial rulers committed genocide against the Herero and Nama peoples from 1904 to 1908. According to historians, 60,000 Herero and 10,000 out of 20,000 Nama were killed during the time.

"In light of Germany's historical and moral responsibility, we will ask Namibia and the descendants of the victims for forgiveness," said Maas.

Part of the agreement is a German aid program of 1.1 billion euros (1.3 billion U.S. dollars) to support reconstruction and development, according to the foreign office.

At the request of the Namibian side, the funding would be provided for projects in the areas of land reform, agriculture, rural infrastructure and water supply as well as vocational training in the settlement areas of the Nama and Herero, according to the foreign office.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency

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