Africa-Press – Namibia. Namibia’s highest court is currently considering a lawsuit brought by opposition leader Bernadus Swartbooi and prominent representatives of the Herero and Nama peoples, who were victims of genocide under Germany’s colonial-era rule. The plaintiffs are seeking to stop a planned ‘reconciliation agreement’ with Germany, which is still pending a court decision.
The German government appears set on implementing the deal, despite the lawsuit. The German Foreign Office has said that the federal government and the Namibian government stand by the joint declaration and that outstanding issues will be clarified by way of renegotiations. The German government is putting up stop signs on some issues in dispute, insisting that renegotiations continue only at the government level and that there will be no direct talks with the Herero and Nama.
Since independence in 1990, Namibia has had a democratic government that represents its entire people. Therefore, intergovernmental arrangements with individuals or individual groups within Namibia are prohibited, according to a letter to German lawmaker Sevim Dagdelen from the Left party. However, the stance has caused outrage among the Herero and Nama and many others in Namibia, who claim that relevant stakeholders were not consulted.
Germany is offering Namibia €1.1 billion over 30 years, which is expected to be used for development projects that benefit the Herero and Nama. However, some Herero and Nama are demanding official reparations, and the German government is remaining tough on the issue. The German government has said that “for lack of a legal basis, there are neither individual nor collective claims for reparations by individual descendants of victims or their associations against the German government.”
Nandiuasora Mazeingo, Chairman of the Ovaherero Genocide Foundation, said that “we are talking about a crime here. And whoever commits a crime must pay a penalty.” Mazeingo said that the so-called “reconciliation agreement” is an agreement on bilateral cooperation and development aid, which is different from reparations.
Overall, the situation remains tense, and the lawsuit continues to be watched closely.
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