Germany has given its first formal apology for the 1904 massacre of some 45,000 to 65,000 members of the Herero tribe in Namibia.

German Development Aid Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul told a commemorative ceremony in Okakarara of Namibia that the brutal crushing of the Herero uprising 100 years ago was genocide, reported China Radio International.

Head of the Herero tribe, Kuama Riruako, welcomed the German statement, while insisting that his tribe has the legal right to sue the German government.

The German government has ruled out compensation for victims' descendants. However, it will provide more aid to the country.

The Herero rebelled in 1904 against German soldiers and settlers who were colonizing south-western Africa.

Source: CRIENGLISH.com