UPDATE - Germany acknowledges it committed 'genocide' in Namibia

UPDATES WITH MORE COMMENTS FROM MAAS, EDITS THROUGHOUT

BERLIN (AA) - Germany has officially acknowledged that it committed a "genocide" against Herero and Nama people in today’s Namibia at the start of 20th century.

"We will now also officially refer to these events as what they were from today's perspective: a genocide," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Friday.

Some 60,000 Hereros and 10,000 Nama people were murdered by German colonial troops in southwestern Africa between 1904 and 1908.

Berlin’s move to recognize these crimes as a "genocide" came after over five years of negotiations between Germany and Namibia to address their difficult history.

- Reconciliation deal

"I am happy and grateful that we have reached an understanding with Namibia on how to address the darkest chapter of our common history," Maas said in a written statement.

"In the light of our historical and moral responsibility, we will ask Namibia and the descendants of the victims for forgiveness," he added.

A joint declaration on reconciliation between Namibia and Germany is expected to be signed next month, according to the diplomats.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will officially apologize for the genocide in front of the Namibian Parliament, but plans for this visit are not yet finalized, local media reported.

- No reparations

As part of reconciliation, the German government offered €1.1 billion ($1.35 billion) in development aid to Namibia, but ruled out legally binding reparations for the victims' descendants.

Maas stressed on Friday that this fund should be seen as a "gesture" by Germany and its recognition of its political and moral responsibility.

"Communities affected by the genocide will have a crucial role in shaping and implementing this fund. No legal claims to compensation can be derived from this," he stressed.

The atrocities against Hereros and Nama people are seen by many historians as the first genocide of the 20th century.