Latest news with #Windhoek
Malay Mail
17 hours ago
- General
- Malay Mail
Man killed by lion at Namibian safari lodge after stepping out to use toilet; campers managed to scare predator away
WINDHOEK (Namibia), May 31 — A lion killed a 59-year-old man at a luxury lodge in the remote north-west of Namibia, police said. The victim was camping with other tourists at the tented resort when the early morning incident happened, police said. He was attacked when he stepped out of his tent to use the toilet, environment ministry spokesperson Ndeshipanda Hamunyela told local news outlet Informante. Other campers managed to scare off the lion but the man was already dead by then, he said. Police were 'attending the scene and a full report will be submitted in due course,' spokesperson Elifas Kuwinga said. Desert-adapted lions roam the remote northwest of the country where mountains and sand dunes meet. In 2023, they were estimated to be around 60 adults and more than dozen cubs. But their numbers have dipped in recent months following a drought-induced drop in prey and conflict with humans. — AFP
Russia Today
2 days ago
- General
- Russia Today
African state remembers first genocide of 20th century
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. '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,' Nandi-Ndaitwah said at the commemoration event held at Parliament Gardens in Windhoek, the capital. She said while Namibia is now free and focused on building the nation, it 'shall never forget the emotional, psychological, economic, and cultural scars' left by the colonial-era atrocities. In 2021, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier apologized for the colonial-era crime and pledged €1.1 billion ($1.2 billion) in development aid to Namibia. This offer, however, fell short of the reparations demanded by leaders of the affected communities. President Nandi-Ndaitwah noted that while Berlin's response may not fully satisfy the demands for justice, its formal admission of having perpetrated the genocide is a meaningful and necessary step forward. 'We may not agree on the final quantum, but that is part of the complex negotiations we have been engaged in with the German Government since 2013. We must remain committed that as a nation, we shall soldier until the ultimate conclusion is reached,' she said. In a statement released ahead of the Windhoek event, Berlin described the 'crimes of German colonial rule' as the 'darkest chapter' in German–Namibian relations. 'The German government acknowledges Germany's moral and political responsibility and emphasizes the importance of reconciliation,' it stated on Wednesday.
Washington Post
3 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
Namibia holds its first genocide remembrance day to mark mass killings by colonial ruler Germany
WINDHOEK, Namibia — Namibia marked the mass killings of Indigenous people in the early 20th century by former colonial ruler Germany with its first genocide remembrance day on Wednesday. The day was declared a national holiday last year by the government and was commemorated for the first time with a ceremony in the gardens of the national Parliament in the capital, Windhoek. Between 1904 and 1908, tens of thousands of Herero and Nama people were massacred or forced into concentration camps and starved by German colonial forces under the command of Gen. Lothar von Trotha, in what was then German South West Africa. Germany formally recognized the atrocities as a genocide in 2021 and agreed to pay Namibia 1.1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) over the course of 30 years to fund various projects. Namibia has rejected that and is pushing for more money and formal reparations for the massacres. '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,' Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said at Wednesday's ceremony. 'These horrendous acts are now part of our collective history of resistance and resilience.' The killings of Herero and Nama men, women and children have been recognized as the first genocide of the 20th century. Historians say von Trotha, who was sent to German South West Africa to put down an uprising by the Herero people, instructed his troops to wipe out the entire tribe. They say that the majority of the Herero people, about 65,000, were killed as were at least 10,000 Nama. Symbolic candles were lit at Wednesday's remembrance ceremony, which was also attended by leaders and descendants of the Herero and Nama people. Namibia chose May 28 as the day to mark the genocide because it was the date Germany finally gave the order to close down the concentration camps. Germany was the colonial ruler of Namibia from 1884 until 1915, when it gave up the territory to South Africa. Namibia finally gained independence from South Africa in 1990. There have been calls by the affected communities in Namibia for years for the government to declare a remembrance day in honour of those who died. Talks between Germany and Namibia over finding a suitable settlement for Germany's role in the genocide have been going on for a decade. In 2018, Germany also returned more than a dozen skulls and other human remains that were taken from Namibia for pseudo-scientific racial experiments. They had been stored in German hospitals, museums and universities for decades. ___ AP Africa news:
The Independent
3 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Namibia holds its first genocide remembrance day to mark mass killings by colonial ruler Germany
Namibia marked the mass killings of Indigenous people in the early 20th century by former colonial ruler Germany with its first genocide remembrance day on Wednesday. The day was declared a national holiday last year by the government and was commemorated for the first time with a ceremony in the gardens of the national Parliament in the capital, Windhoek. Between 1904 and 1908, tens of thousands of Herero and Nama people were massacred or forced into concentration camps and starved by German colonial forces under the command of Gen. Lothar von Trotha, in what was then German South West Africa. Germany formally recognized the atrocities as a genocide in 2021 and agreed to pay Namibia 1.1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) over the course of 30 years to fund various projects. Namibia has rejected that and is pushing for more money and formal reparations for the massacres. '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," Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said at Wednesday's ceremony. 'These horrendous acts are now part of our collective history of resistance and resilience.' The killings of Herero and Nama men, women and children have been recognized as the first genocide of the 20th century. Historians say von Trotha, who was sent to German South West Africa to put down an uprising by the Herero people, instructed his troops to wipe out the entire tribe. They say that the majority of the Herero people, about 65,000, were killed as were at least 10,000 Nama. Symbolic candles were lit at Wednesday's remembrance ceremony, which was also attended by leaders and descendants of the Herero and Nama people. Namibia chose May 28 as the day to mark the genocide because it was the date Germany finally gave the order to close down the concentration camps. Germany was the colonial ruler of Namibia from 1884 until 1915, when it gave up the territory to South Africa. Namibia finally gained independence from South Africa in 1990. There have been calls by the affected communities in Namibia for years for the government to declare a remembrance day in honour of those who died. Talks between Germany and Namibia over finding a suitable settlement for Germany's role in the genocide have been going on for a decade. In 2018, Germany also returned more than a dozen skulls and other human remains that were taken from Namibia for pseudo-scientific racial experiments. They had been stored in German hospitals, museums and universities for decades. ___
Associated Press
3 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
Namibia holds its first genocide remembrance day to mark mass killings by colonial ruler Germany
WINDHOEK, Namibia (AP) — Namibia marked the mass killings of Indigenous people in the early 20th century by former colonial ruler Germany with its first genocide remembrance day on Wednesday. The day was declared a national holiday last year by the government and was commemorated for the first time with a ceremony in the gardens of the national Parliament in the capital, Windhoek. Between 1904 and 1908, tens of thousands of Herero and Nama people were massacred or forced into concentration camps and starved by German colonial forces under the command of Gen. Lothar von Trotha, in what was then German South West Africa. Germany formally recognized the atrocities as a genocide in 2021 and agreed to pay Namibia 1.1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) over the course of 30 years to fund various projects. Namibia has rejected that and is pushing for more money and formal reparations for the massacres. '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,' Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said at Wednesday's ceremony. 'These horrendous acts are now part of our collective history of resistance and resilience.' The killings of Herero and Nama men, women and children have been recognized as the first genocide of the 20th century. Historians say von Trotha, who was sent to German South West Africa to put down an uprising by the Herero people, instructed his troops to wipe out the entire tribe. They say that the majority of the Herero people, about 65,000, were killed as were at least 10,000 Nama. Symbolic candles were lit at Wednesday's remembrance ceremony, which was also attended by leaders and descendants of the Herero and Nama people. Namibia chose May 28 as the day to mark the genocide because it was the date Germany finally gave the order to close down the concentration camps. Germany was the colonial ruler of Namibia from 1884 until 1915, when it gave up the territory to South Africa. Namibia finally gained independence from South Africa in 1990. There have been calls by the affected communities in Namibia for years for the government to declare a remembrance day in honour of those who died. Talks between Germany and Namibia over finding a suitable settlement for Germany's role in the genocide have been going on for a decade. In 2018, Germany also returned more than a dozen skulls and other human remains that were taken from Namibia for pseudo-scientific racial experiments. They had been stored in German hospitals, museums and universities for decades. ___ AP Africa news:
