African state remembers first genocide of 20th century

NAMIBIA: Namibia will never forget the brutal massacre of thousands of its people by German soldiers during colonial rule, the Southern African country’s president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, has declared.

President Nandi-Ndaitwah made the remarks in an emotional speech on Wednesday, the country’s first Genocide Remembrance Day.

German colonial forces massacred an estimated 100,000 OvaHerero and Nama people between 1904 and 1908 in what was then known as German South West Africa.

Launched in response to a series of uprisings against German rule, the killings are recognized by the UN as the first genocide of the 20th century.