BERLIN: Germany on Friday recognised it had committed genocide in colonial-era Namibia and promised a billion euros in financial support to descendants of the victims, in a move welcomed as a "first step" by Windhoek but slammed as insufficient by activists. "We will now officially refer to these events as what they are from today's perspective: genocide," said Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.

"In light of the historical and moral responsibility of Germany, we will ask forgiveness from Namibia and the victims' descendants" for the "atrocities" committed, he added.

The announcement came after more than five years of negotiations between the two countries over events in the territory held by Berlin from 1884 to 1915.

German colonial settlers killed tens of thousands of indigenous Herero and Nama people in 1904-1908 massacres - labelled the first genocide of the 20th century by historians and poisoning relations between Namibia and Germany for years.

In a "gesture to recognise the immense suffering inflicted on the victims", Germany will support the "reconstruction and the development" of Namibia via a financial programme of 1.1 billion euros ($1.34 billion), Maas said.

The sum will be paid over 30 years, according to sources close to the negotiations, and must primarily benefit the descendants of the Herero and Nama.

Yet Maas stopped short of referring to reparations, saying the payment did not open the way to any "legal request for compensation".

Namibian President Hage Geingob's spokesman Alfredo Hengari told AFP an official recognition of genocide was "the first step in the right direction".

"It is the basis for the second step, which is an apology, to be followed by reparations," he added.