Land used by the Herero, also known as OvaHerero, and smaller Namaqua community for grazing was seized and thousands were executed after they rebelled in 1904. Five rounds of negotiations have been held since, although German officials emphasise talks have been going on since 2012. The government's chief negotiator, Zed Ngavirue, said the 'willing seller, willing buyer' system had failed. The issue would be revisited at a conference this year, he said, but would not be part of the negotiations with Germany over the genocide. Robert Murtfeld, a U.S.-based academic and independent observer in the Namibian talks, said he did not think an agreement could be reached unless land was included, with implications for other former colonies in Africa.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 02, 2017 08:35 UTC