“Opposition want more consultations on genocide reparations deal
By Shelleygan Petersen
9 January 2025
Some opposition members of parliament (MPs) say they will reject the 1904 to 1908 genocide reparations joint declaration.
Parliament in 2021 rejected [see editor’s note below; ed.] the government’s first attempt to push through the deal.
The Namibian Sun yesterday reported that Cabinet allegedly directed that the controversial joint declaration between Namibia and Germany on reparations for the Nama and Ovaherero genocide be signed before March 2025.
This follows the last meeting of Namibia and Germany’s negotiators in Windhoek in November.
Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) deputy leader Kalimbo Iipumbu yesterday said the amendments to the genocide reparations declaration are indeed significant, and their impact requires careful scrutiny. While acknowledging that the removal of the cap on the €1.1 billion amount (about N$ 2.4 billion) is a positive step, he said it is not enough.
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Iipumbu said the inclusion of those in the diaspora must go beyond symbolic gestures and address the real needs of communities dispersed across borders, ensuring they are equally prioritised in the reparations process.
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Rally for Democracy and Progress president Mike Kavekotora yesterday said the joint declaration, with all its subsequent amendments, fell short of complying to the motion tabled by the late Kuaima Riruako in 2006 in many material respects.
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National Unity Democratic Organisation (Nudo) MP Joseph Kauandenge yesterday said they will not accept a settlement reached between the two governments without the involvement of the affected communities.
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“We will cross the bridge only after we have read the final text of this joint declaration in black and white. However, from the few insights we have heard, it will be difficult for Nudo to support this declaration once tabled in parliament again,” he added.”
- Full report on the website of the Namibian (last checked in January 2025)
- See Namibian Sun’s report “Cabinet ‘approves’ genocide joint declaration” from 8 January 2025
- See also the joint declaration by the governments of Germany and Namibia from May 2021
- See also the Motion on OvaHerero Genocide, tabled by Member of Parliament, Kuaima Riruako, and adopted by the National Assembly of Namibia in 2006
Editor’s note:
The National Assembly did not reject the Joint Declaration. The debates in parliament from September to November 2021 ended without a vote.