Namibia held a national day of commemoration on Wednesday for the victims of what is often referred to as "Germany's forgotten genocide."

The programme included a candlelight vigil and a speech by President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, along with a minute's silence in memory of the victims — the Herero and Nama peoples.

"Many people from the two communities were forced into concentration camps where they were starved to death and their skulls were taken to Germany for so-called scientific research," she said.

"These horrendous acts are now part of our collective history of resistance and resilience."

Still no agreement on reparations says Namibia's president

Namibia's president used the occasion to press for greater reparations than what Berlin has offered.

"We should find a degree of comfort in the fact that the German government has agreed that the German troops committed a genocide against the... people of our land," Nandi-Ndaitwah said at the ceremony held in the gardens of parliament.

While Berlin has offered an apology, there is still no agreement on reparations in talks that began with the German government in 2013, she said.

"We must remain committed that as a nation, we shall soldier on until the ultimate conclusion is reached," Nandi-Ndaitwah said.

Germany's director for Sub-Saharan Africa said in a post on social media that the countries were moving together towards reconciliation.

"The Federal Government acknowledges Germany's moral and political responsibility. Together with Namibia, we are pursuing the path of reconciliation," Christoph Retzlaff, Africa Director of the Federal Foreign Office said in a post on X.

May 28 has 'deep historical significance'

The Namibian government said that May 28 held "deep historical significance" as it was the day in 1907 when German colonial authorities ordered the closure of concentration camps.

"This event brought an end to the systematic and brutal killings, forced displacement, starvation and immense suffering endured by the OvaHerero and Nama peoples," it was stated in the official program.

"During this tragic chapter in Namibia's history, tens of thousands of men, women and children were brutally killed."

It was the first time Namibia officially commemorated the Herero and Nama murdered by German colonial forces between 1904 and 1908.

The 1904-1908 genocide

While figures remain contested, according to conservative estimates, around 65,000 of 80,000 Herero people and at least 10,000 out of 20,000 Nama people were killed under German rule.

Up to 100,000 people are said to have died at the hands of German forces with the period of history now widely accepted as the 20th century's first genocide. 

Germany formally recognized the crimes committed by colonial forces as genocide in 2021, following years of negotiations and offered Namibia €1.1 billion over 30 years, but the governments have yet to arrive at a final agreement.

Local media reported that the day has not come without controversy with newspaper Windhoek Observer reporting on Tuesday that only two of the 13 speakers came from the Herero and Nama communities.

Daily publication The Namibian reported that President Nandi-Ndaitwah urged Namibians to avoid division on the day of commemoration as some rejected it as something initiated by government.

"I urge Namibians at large to avoid anything that would bring division among ourselves," The Namibian quoted the president as saying adding that the president had also said government had tried to include all parties.

Edited by: Zac Crellin