Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire

Burundi to Demand Colonial Reparations From Germany and Belgium  
Deutsche Welle
19 Aug 2020
🖨️ Print Article
Burundi to Demand Colonial Reparations From Germany and Belgium  
Burundi to Demand Colonial Reparations From Germany and Belgium  

The East African country is a former German colony and lived under Belgian rule until gaining independence almost 60 years ago. 

“The ruling powers strengthened the divide between the Hutu and Tutsi groups.”

Burundi wants Germany and Belgium to pay €36 billion ($42.6 billion) in reparations for colonial rule, media reports published on Sunday said.

The country's senate has put together a panel of experts to assess the damage done during colonialism and advise on the cost of damages, according to Radio France International.

The broadcaster said that once the amount has been decided, Burundi plans to send these recommendations to the German and Belgium governments.

The country also intends to demand the European countries return stolen historical artifacts and archive material.

From 1890, Germany colonized Burundi, which became part of German East Africa. After WWI, the country was ruled by Belgium, until it gained its independence in 1962.

Colonial legacy

During the colonial era, the ruling powers strengthened the divide between the Hutu and Tutsi groups.

This contributed to deadly ethnic conflict between them in the 1970s and then another civil war for 12 years from 1993, which killed some 300,000 people.

The Belgium government carried out a program of kidnapping biracial children from Burundi and then Belgium Congo during the 1940s and 50s.

Belgium officially apologized for this in 2009.

Although less well-known than other colonial powers, Germany was at one time the fourth-largest colonial power in the world.

In addition to German East Africa, which was made up of present-day Rwanda and parts of Tanzania in addition to Burundi, Germany had territories in what is now Ghana and Namibia and elsewhere.

The German government has been in talks since 2015 with Namibia — the country wants both financial reparations and an official apology from Germany for losses sustained and crimes committed during its colonial rule.

Belgium is planning to set up a panel of experts to advise its administration on how to deal with its colonial history.

This article previously appeared in Deutsche Welle.

Please join the conversation on Black Agenda Report's Facebook page at http://facebook.com/blackagendareport

Or, you can comment by emailing us at comments@blackagendareport.com  

reparations

Do you need and appreciate Black Agenda Report articles? Please click on the DONATE icon, and help us out, if you can.


Related Stories

Socialist Movement of Ghana , Dhoruba bin-Wahad
Statement of Condemnation of the Plan to Have Emmanuel Macron Deliver a Keynote Address on Reparations in Ghana
10 June 2026
The Socialist Movement of Ghana declared its strong opposition to their government's invitation to French president Emmanuel Macron t
Nicholas Mwangi
UN Declares Transatlantic Slavery the “gravest crime against humanity”
01 April 2026
The UN has adopted a landmark declaration, introduced by Ghana, recognizing the transatlantic slave trade as the “gravest crime against humanit
Jon Jeter
Following Kamala’s Script, Maryland Governor Vetoes Reparations Bill, Angering Black Voters He Will Need in White House Bid
28 May 2025
By vetoing a bill to study reparations, Maryland Governor Wes Moore has aligned himself with a long line of Black Democrats who prioritize whit
Mildred Trouilot Aristide
Haiti And The Global Movement For Reparations
16 April 2025
Haiti Action Committee is honored to share the keynote address given by Haiti’s former First Lady Mildred Ar
UN soldiers in Haiti
Leandro Melito , Ana Paula Rocha
'Haiti should be compensated for the destruction caused by the UN military mission,' says historian
20 March 2024
Historian Everaldo de Oliveira Andrade asserts that armed groups are the heirs to the repression of US-backed dictatorships.
A lithograph print of the July 3, 1825 landing of French gunboats in Port-au-Prince
Ira Kurzban
Haiti’s Legal Claim for Restitution
10 January 2024
Originally published in Haiti Liberte.
accra reparation
Mark P. Fancher
Reparations by Appeal to Conscience or by Demands from a Position of Strength?
07 September 2022
The pursuit of justice and reparations for African people has been constant.
Haiti: The Ransom is Still Being Paid
Robert Roth
Haiti: The Ransom is Still Being Paid
06 July 2022
The acknowledgement that France and the U.S. robbed Haiti of billions of dollars is long overdue.
In a 1982 interview, Queen Mother Audley Moore raps on imperialism, neocolonialism, emancipation, and reparations -- and the need for Black people to get in our “right mind” to understand our domination.
Editors, The Black Agenda Review
Interview: Queen Mother Moore, Westindian Digest, September 1982
23 November 2021
In a 1982 interview, Queen Mother Audley Moore raps on imperialism, neocolonialism, emancipation, and reparations -- and the need for Black peo
20 years After Durban: Africans and Afro-Descendants Colonized or Emancipated?
Mireille Fanon Mendes France
20 years After Durban: Africans and Afro-Descendants Colonized or Emancipated?
26 September 2021
The 20th anniversary of the World Conference Against Racism (WCAR) is an opportunity to analyze the state of African descended people.

More Stories


  • Sara Flounders , Joe Lombardo
    RESPONSE TO: Lawrence S. Wittner’s “Spinning Illusions: The Anti-American Left and the Ukraine War” – a new McCarthyism
    23 Aug 2023
    Recently articles have appeared on the front page of the New York Times that try to smear Code Pink, The People’s Forum and TriContinental as Chinese agents. The Times article was followed by a…
  • Yes! An NFL Player Can Be Exploited
    Gus Griffin
    Yes! An NFL Player Can Be Exploited
    23 Aug 2023
    Michael Oher’s story of exploitation is even worse than the white savior narrative presented by Hollywood.
  • Case studies: US military assistance in Africa doesn’t work
    Jim Lobe
    Case studies: US Military Assistance in Africa Doesn’t Work
    23 Aug 2023
    ​​​​​​​Authors of a new report worry that Washington won’t heed their warnings but double down in an era of Great Power Competition.
  • How Washington Shapes ICC To Its Own Aims
    Maureen Clare Murphy
    How Washington Shapes ICC To Its Own Aims
    23 Aug 2023
    The International Criminal Court is itself criminal in its selective prosecutions and obedience to Washington's directives. In turn, the U.S. specifically prohibits aid to the Palestinian Authority…
  • Why Is the U.S. Now Favoring Accelerating the Formation of a Force to Intervene in Haiti?
    Narciso Isa Conde
    Why Is the U.S. Now Favoring Accelerating the Formation of a Force to Intervene in Haiti?
    23 Aug 2023
    The impending occupation of Haiti is the latest example of imperialist aggression against that nation and others.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us