Germany, Namibia genocide negotiation teams meet for last round

The Presidency says Namibia and Germany will have the final round of negotiations for the 1904-1908 genocide reparations today.

This comes after 18 years since the parliament adopted a motion tabled by Ovaherero paramount chief Kuaima Riruako in 2006.

The motion tabled was unanimously adopted by the Namibian National Assembly for any negotiations and final agreements or settlement with the Germans on the genocide of the Nama and Ovaherero communities.

Press secretary Alfredo Hengari yesterday said,”The last phase of the talks on the joint declaration are ongoing and the two teams will meet in Namibia towards the end of the week.”

In July, negotiators said Germany’s reparations deal with Namibia will be an “uncapped” €1.1 billion (or N$21.4 billion) to mimic €1.2 billion reparations paid to Holocaust survivors. This means once the €1.1 billion is used up, there are additional funds that will be provided.

After this last round, the declaration and the accompanying agreements will go to Cabinet.

“President Nangolo Mbumba as chair of the special Cabinet committee on genocide will be provided with the relevant documents at the appropriate time,” Hengari said.

He said they have been consulting on this.

“Please be assured that president Mbumba is committed to communicating and engaging transparently on this process and a lot of consultations have taken place,” the press secretary told The Namibian.

Chiefs representative Charles Eiseb on Wednesday also confirmed that an agreement has finally been reached with Germany.

Eiseb said following the collapse of the German coalition government, finalising the negotiations is imminent.

“The joint declaration, the financing agreement, the reconciliation agreement, as well as the fourth one are ready for signing. The two governments just have to decide when and how,” he said.

Responding to these developments, Popular Democratic Movement leader McHenry Venaani yesterday labelled it as shameful.

“It’s shameful for the state to conclude a deal in secrecy without engaging the affected communities,” he said.

Venaani said the reparations deal should not be about scoring goals.

“A deal must be for those affected, not for achieving bilateral relation ends,” he said.

The National Unity Democratic Organisation’s (Nudo) Joseph Kauandenge yesterday said it is news to them that the negotiations have been concluded.

“If this is indeed true, then we will reject this behind-the-door agreement between the two governments,” he said.

Kauandenge said Nudo has been on record saying anything that concerns the descendants with regards to the reparation negotiations, must be discussed with them directly.

“And we must have our inputs as the affected communities. If this is not done as such then the Namibian government is betraying the memory of our departed leader Kuaima Riruako who fought tirelessly to make sure his subjects receive a just compensation from Germany,” he said.

He cautioned the government to be “very careful” that their inability to listen to the affected communities’ concerns will stir unnecessary internal strife in the country.

“We reject any re-submission to the Cabinet without the input of the affected communities,” Kauandenge said.