WINDHOEK: Namibia, the southern African nation that suffered the first genocide of the 20th century under German colonial rule, has expressed strong condemnation for Germany’s recent decision to reject Genocide accusations against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Germany’s refusal to support South Africa’s claims of “genocide” committed by Israel has ignited criticism from Namibian President Hage Geingob.
In response to South Africa’s emergency case at the ICJ, accusing Israel of breaching the UN Genocide Convention, Namibia condemned Germany’s backing of the “genocidal intent” of the Israeli state. President Geingob, expressing “deep concern,” lamented Germany’s failure to draw lessons from its own history and accused Berlin of overlooking the deaths of over 23,000 Palestinians in Gaza.
Namibia Criticizes Germany’s Defense of Israel
The Namibian presidency’s statement on Saturday criticized Germany’s defense of Israel’s actions in front of the ICJ, characterizing them as “genocidal and gruesome acts.” Germany, responsible for the mass killings of over 70,000 Indigenous Herero and Nama people in Namibia between 1904 and 1908, is widely acknowledged for committing the first genocide of the 20th century.
Germany’s rejection of South Africa’s accusations was framed as a “political instrumentalization” of the UN Genocide Convention by the German government, which maintained that the claims had “no basis in fact.” The Namibian presidency emphasized that Germany has yet to fully atone for the genocide it committed in Namibia.
In May 2021, after over five years of negotiations, Germany acknowledged committing a “genocide” in Namibia and pledged more than 1.1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) in development aid over 30 years to benefit the offspring of the Herero and Nama tribes.
