The now deceased Chief Vekuii Rukoro at a memorial event in Berlin (archive image from August 2018)
Photo: Gregor Fischer / dpa
After a corona outbreak in the Namibian government, negotiations on the reconciliation agreement with Germany that is ready to be signed have been paused for the time being.
This was confirmed by a spokeswoman for the Foreign Office in Berlin.
According to this, several members of the government in Windhoek and members of parliament have contracted the corona virus.
One of the bitterest critics of the reconciliation agreement, Chief Vekuii Rukoro, died on Friday night after a corona infection.
Rukoro was the highest traditional authority of the Ovaherero and leader of the Herero faction, which opposes the planned agreement to come to terms with the German colonial era.
Rukoro died at the age of 66 in a hospital in the Namibian capital, Windhoek, according to the Ovaherero's general secretary, Mutjinde Katjiua.
Ambassador in Windhoek condolences
Among other things, Rukoro had announced protests against the visit of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Namibia, in case he should ask for forgiveness in the Namibian parliament for the genocide of the Herero and Nama.
He demanded reparations instead of voluntary financial contributions from Germany.
The German ambassador would condolve on the spot, the government expresses its condolences, said the Foreign Office.
Even if the talks are currently resting, one is full of hope.
"We continue to work to ensure that this agreement comes about," said the spokeswoman.
In the agreement, more than 100 years after the crimes of the German colonial power in what is now Namibia, the federal government recognizes the atrocities committed against the Herero and Nama ethnic groups as genocide.
Germany wants to officially ask for forgiveness of the descendants and support them with a total of 1.1 billion euros.
The negotiations were conducted by representatives of the two governments, Herero and Nama were closely involved.
However, there was harsh criticism from some representatives of the ethnic groups.
mrc / dpa
