FORUM position on the 120th anniversary of the Extermination Order of Lieutenant-General Lothar von Trotha on 02 October 1904

The Forum of German-speaking Namibians …

1. today recalls the 2^nd of October 1904 when Lieutenant-General Lothar von Trotha, commander of the colonial troops in German-Southwest Africa issued an extermination order against all Ovaherero in German-Southwest Africa back then with the resulting devastating consequences and traumatic events which are haunting and shaping independent Namibia until today.
   
   
2. recognizes the human suffering and loss of life, land, homeland, property, cultural heritage and dignity suffered by the Ovaherero, OvaMbanderu and Nama ethnic groups during the colonial period (1884 – 1915), in what was then German-Southwest Africa – and especially in the years from 1904.
   
   
3. sees the so-called Joint Declaration (JD) reconciliation agreement as initialled in May 2021 by the Federal Republic of Germany and Namibia as the beginning of a process of addressing and understanding injustice and its consequences in order to ultimately promote national identity and solidarity among the various ethnic groups in Namibia and thus maintain social peace in the long term.

The Forum of German-speaking Namibians appeals to all stakeholders involved – in constructive and peaceful cooperation – to work towards a comprehensive JD reconciliation agreement, in the sense of „One Namibia – One Nation“.

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  FORUM position on the 120th anniversary of the Extermination Order of Lieutenant-General Lothar von Trotha on 02 October 1904
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  FORUM-Position zum 120. Jahrestag des Vernichtungsbefehl von Generalleutnant Lothar von Trotha am 2. Oktober 1904