More than just an apology for the Herero massacres

In a landmark admission of historical guilt, Germany is set to apologise for the massacre of 100 000 Herero and 10 000 Nama people in Namibia by German troops between 1904 and 1908.

Barely two weeks ago, Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesperson said her country was soon to issue a formal apology to Namibia for the massacres now officially treated as genocide.

German Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Sawsan Chebli confirmed the development saying; “The federal government has been pursuing a dialogue with Namibia on this very painful history of the colonial era since 2012.  We seek a common policy statement on the following elements: a common language on the historical events and a German apology and its acceptance by Namibia.”

However, Chebli immediately dismissed any issues to do with reparations saying the apology was unconditional.