German President Steinmeier Apologizes for Colonial-era Atrocities in Tanzania, Pledges to Address Historical Repatriation Issues

President Steinmeier seeks collective acknowledgement of Germany's violent past, committed to finding and returning abducted human remains, and promises to increase awareness of the atrocities back home; however, no explicit mention of reparations during the landmark visit.

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany has asked for forgiveness for the colonial-era atrocities inflicted by Germany on Tanzania, where German forces killed almost 300,000 people during the Maji Maji rebellion in the early 1900s.
The Maji Maji uprising was triggered by a German policy to force the indigenous population to grow cotton for export in German East Africa, which is made up of modern-day Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and parts of Mozambique.
The German president committed to the repatriation of cultural properties and human remains, signaling the commitment to find and return the skull of colonial-era leader Chief Songea Mbano and others whose remains were plundered and brought to Berlin.
There has been criticism as the German president did not mention reparations during the apology, leading to complaints that the apology did not go far enough, with the Tanzanian government previously considering legal action for compensation for the victims of the atrocities caused by German forces.
Despite the criticisms, the apology is seen as a milestone in Germany’s attempt to reckoning with its colonial past, a process that has seen Germany acknowledge committing genocide during its colonial occupation of Namibia and pledging to address atrocities committed in Tanzania and other colonies.