The Surprise came in the middle of the speech. “We have made good progress. Germany has accepted that the events from 1904 to 1908, a peoples were murder, and is ready to apologize,” said Namibian President Hage Geingob in his speech to the Nation on 4. June. Later, he did the same again: “I’m not allowed to say that here, but we have come a long way.”
The Namibian government newspaper said: “Germany apologizes finally for the genocide”. However, the government in Windhoek, no one cheers. Not even the Federal government. “The talks are proceeding in the mutual trust and constructive. Both sides have agreed to confidentiality, and therefore we will not comment here on the course and content of the talks,” said foreign Ministry spokesman Christofer Burger last Monday before journalists in Berlin.
Germany promises to be sorry euphoria sounds different. Upon closer inspection, Geingobs are seemingly revolutionary statements, then even so revolutionary. For several years a representative to speak German government again and again of a genocide to describe the crimes on the territory of present-day Namibia during the colonial period. German soldiers had there between 1904 and 1908, an uprising of the Herero and Nama bloody, tens of thousands of people died.
A German apology, the Federal government was always in view. Recently, the German development Minister Gerd Müller when he visited in August 2019 Namibia. Already in February with a joint Declaration according to the German Namibian representative Ruprecht Polenz was almost ready. Polenz at the time: “We would have preferred to be asked yesterday than they are today sorry. For the Namibian side is important, what should follow from it.”
dispute about the money
In this issue are both sides far. Direct compensation has excluded the Federal government since the beginning of the negotiations, but reparations offered. Especially in the home regions of the Herero and Nama should benefit from a German point of view. The Federal government has proposed projects in areas such as vocational education, health, energy, and land reform.
the dispute was over the possible sums. First of all, Germany had offered ten million euros, said President Geingob in his speech. “We have said that it was an Insult,” said Geingob. In the meantime, of Namibia’s government even threatened with a lawsuit against Germany. After his presentation, there is even now, despite all the kind words, no agreement. “A final agreement is still pending,” said Geingob. Why, then, are the positive Statements? Observers suspect that the President wants to set an example. To the own people: “Our economy is in for 2016 on the ground. Many people have lost their Jobs. By means of the Corona pandemic, it is even worse, tourism is on the floor. He was looking likely to be positive things that he can report to the Nation,” said Dietrich Remmert Interview from a Namibian Think-Tank Institute for Public Policy Research at the DW.
Signal to the Herero and Nama?
in addition, it could be a Signal to the Herero and Nama. The trenches between the government and the affected ethnic groups is large. Some of the traditional representatives reject the official negotiations. You don’t trust the government, which is dominated from your point of view from the majority of the people of the Ovambos, to represent their interests.
And also the Federal government could be meant. Remmert: “Some observers here say behind closed doors that the Namibian government is to a large extent for the tough course of the negotiations, and a rather lax attitude to it.”
It is, as so often, since the negotiations began: when and whether both governments, remains unclear. The last planned round of Negotiations in March had to be cancelled due to the Corona pandemic. Working-level discussions had gone further.
Federal development Minister Gerd Müller had put in his Namibia visit in August, 2019 in view, that the excuse could be made after the next election in Namibia. Which took place in November 2019. Special mediator Polenz emphasized again and again, you hope for a quick conclusion to the talks. The exact time he called, the Federal government in a long time.
author: Daniel Pelz
*The post “Namibia dashes, Germany waits” is published by Deutsche Welle. Contact with the executives here.
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