Admin l Saturday, January 07, 2016
NAMIBIA – Two indigenous groups, Ovaherero and Nama people in Namibia have filed a suit against Germany accusing her of genocide for ethnic massacre that took place in the early 19th century.
They are alleging that as many as 100,000 Ovaherero and Nama people died during a campaign of annihilation led by German General Lothar von Trotha.
Filed in New York on Thursday, the Ovaherero and Nama people are seeking compensation for what their ancestors suffered.
They also want to be included in talks between Germany and Namibia on the issue.The two countries have been in discussions about a joint declaration on massacres carried out by German settlers during the 1900s.
According to the suite, from 1885 to 1903 about one-quarter of Ovaherero and Nama lands were taken without compensation by German settlers, with the explicit consent of German colonial authorities.
They also contend that German authorities turned a blind eye to rapes by colonists of Ovaherero and Nama women and girls, and the use of forced labour.
A US-based non-profit group, Association of the Ovaherero Genocide, is one of the plaintiffs, along with Vekuii Rukoro, identified as the chief of the Ovaherero people, and David Frederick, chief and chairman of the Nama Traditional Authorities Association.
