On January 26, 2005 the Damara community issued a press statement asking Germany to be held accountable for the lives of 17,000 Damara killed in the Namibian genocide between 1904 and 1907. Damara feel that they need to make their voices heard because discussions of the German genocide in Namibia have largely focused on the Herero. The statement also called on the German government to return the head of Damara warrior /Haihab //Guruseb for reburial.
In 1904, the indigenous peoples of Namibia rebelled against colonizing German forces and settlers. In response, the German military killed over 100,000 Herero, Damara, and Nama and placed people into concentration camps. In August, 2004, Germany formally apologized for its role in the genocide of 65,000 Hereros, promising economic assistance to Namibia, but ruled out financial compensation as an option. Germany has yet to respond to the Damara statement.
