Herero uprising 120 years ago (January 12)

On January 12, 1904, the Herero in “German South-West Africa” revolted against the German colonial rule. Meanwhile, the legal processing of the subsequent genocide remains stalled. “The so-called ‘joint declaration’, in which the German Federal Government acknowledged the genocide and promised compensation as part of bilateral development cooperation, is still not in force – almost three years after it was decided upon,” stated Christoph Hahn, expert on genocide prevention and the Responsibility to Protect. “The descendants of the victims sharply criticized the agreement, as they were not involved in its negotiation. They are currently taking legal action against the Namibian government.”

In February 2023, seven Special Rapporteurs had sent a letter to the German government, expressing their concern about the lack of participation of the descendants. Now, several victims’ associations – including the Nama Traditional Leaders Association and the Ovaherero Traditional Authorities – fear that the Namibian government is planning to establish facts before the elections in November by signing the agreement this summer. “The German Federal Government must finally understand that an appropriate agreement would have to include direct negotiations with the Herero and the Nama,” Hahn emphasized. Further, simply increasing the already planned development funds to 1.1 billion Euros over 30 years is not to be seen as adequate compensation. 

For a moment, the completely surprising – although long-planned – uprising of the Herero had initially been successful, but the overwhelmed German colonial administration reacted with extreme brutality: Around 60,000 Herero and 20,000 Nama were killed in the period from 1904 to 1908. Historians see this as the first genocide of the 20th century.