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Germany hints at payments for colonial-era Namibia killings

Germany hints at payments for colonial-era Namibia killings | iNFOnews.ca
A poster for the exhibition 'German Colonialism' with a historic German spiked helmet displayed outside the German Historic Museum in Berlin, Friday, Jan. 6, 2017. Germany says Friday Jan. 6, 2017 it could make further payments to Namibia for the killing of 65,000 tribes people by German colonial troops during the early 20th century. Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer says the two-year talks with Namibia’s government “aren’t easy because it’s a difficult topic.” His comments come a day after representatives of the Herero and Nama tribes filed a class action complaint against the German government in the United States, seeking reparations and a place at the negotiating table. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

BERLIN – Germany says it may make payments to Namibia for the killing of 65,000 tribespeople by German colonial troops during the early 20th century.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer says the two-year talks with Namibia’s government “aren’t easy because it’s a difficult topic.”

But he said Friday the negotiations have entered a phase in which both sides are talking “in very concrete terms” about how to treat the events in the future and “this may include further payments.” Germany already provides Namibia significant development aid.

Representatives of the Herero and Nama tribes filed a class-action complaint in the United States Thursday against the German government, seeking reparations and a place at the negotiating table.

Schaefer says Germany had “good reasons” for not negotiating directly with the tribes. He didn’t elaborate.

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