German parliament revisits genocide deal

Germany’s parliament has referred two opposition proposals concerning the genocide of the Ovaherero and Nama peoples to its Foreign Affairs Committee, reopening debate over reparations and the controversial €1.1 billion (approximately N$20.31 billion) reconciliation agreement with Namibia.

The motions, tabled by Die Linke (The Left) and Alliance 90/The Greens, were debated in the Bundestag on Wednesday but neither was adopted as government policy. The development comes as Ovaherero Traditional Authority paramount chief Mutjinde Katjiua, speaking in Berlin, renewed his rejection of the German-Namibian Joint Declaration, insisting that development assistance cannot replace reparations for the 1904–1908 genocide. Katjiua supports Die Linke’s proposal, which calls for Germany to accept full historical responsibility and legal liability and provide direct reparations to descendants of victims.

The Greens are seeking an official apology, renewed reconciliation efforts and the return of cultural artefacts and human remains held in German collections. Both proposals challenge Germany’s existing reconciliation approach, which has faced criticism from traditional leaders who say affected communities were excluded from negotiations. The debate also exposed political divisions, with Left Party lawmakers turning their backs as Alternative for Germany (AfD) deputy Ronald Glaeser addressed parliament. AfD lawmaker Alexander Wolf dismissed the proposals as an expression of “German self-hatred” among “left-green ideologues”. The motions remain under parliamentary consideration.

Reparations dispute - The Joint Declaration proposes €1.1 billion over 30 years for reconciliation and reconstruction projects rather than direct compensation to descendants of genocide victims.

Katjiua, who has challenged the agreement in the Windhoek High Court, maintains that the arrangement fails to address the historical injustices suffered by affected communities. “Development aid cannot substitute for comprehensive reparations. Hence, we reject the Joint Declaration in whole and have filed a lawsuit in the Windhoek High Court to set it aside,” he said.

He criticised Germany’s description of the atrocities as genocide from today’s perspective, arguing that the formulation undermines recognition of historical responsibility. “Instead, Germany describes the genocides as ‘events’ which can apparently be described as ‘genocides from today’s perspective’,” he said. “This language implies that it was acceptable to exterminate the OvaHerero and Nama peoples at the time because we were not regarded as members of the so-called ‘civilised nations’.”

Katjiua wants reparations to address land dispossession, destroyed livelihoods, cultural losses and forced displacement, alongside the return of human remains and cultural objects. He also insists that descendants in Botswana, South Africa and elsewhere must participate in future negotiations. “We stand firm: Nothing About Us, Without Us,” he said.

Ngurare questioned - The developments prompted questions in Namibia’s National Assembly, where National Unity Democratic Organisation parliamentarian Vetaruhe Kandorozu challenged Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare over the government’s position.

Kandorozu questioned why Germany was proceeding with parliamentary deliberations while Namibia had yet to establish a united position on the agreement. “I am protesting. People are excluded from the process. And the whole process is skewed. It’s not on the right trajectory,” he said.

He argued that Namibia should examine the agreement before Germany proceeded further. “If they agree and here on the other side we reject it completely, why can they not wait for us to deliberate the whole process, dissect and then they can resolve based on our guidelines?” Kandorozu asked. Ngurare acknowledged that he had not been fully briefed on the developments in Berlin and undertook to investigate. “I’m afraid that I’m not thoroughly informed by that. If that is the case, we will follow up to understand it,” he said.

The prime minister agreed that Namibia needed a common position on addressing the historical injustices. “We now need to be able to ventilate this issue the same way that he suggested, so that we find a united position in honouring all those who have sacrificed, who have been subjected to the most inhuman treatment,” Ngurare said.