NGO urges UK, Germany to present apologies and compensations for colonial atrocities in Tanzania

An international organisation has urged Tanzania's former colonisers Germany and the United Kingdom to present apologies and compensations for atrocities committed during the colonial period.

Germany ruled Tanzania, then known as Tanganyika, between 1890 and 1919, after which date Britain took control of the East African nation.

Organisation Colonialism Reparation is demanding Germany and the UK present apologies and compensations "without being forced to appear before a court".

This comes a month after Tanzanian Defence Minister Hussein Mwinyi said the government would press Berlin for compensation for tens of thousands of people who were allegedly starved, tortured or killed by German soldiers as they tried to put down the tribal Maji Maji rebellions, between 1905 and 1907.

It follows the example of the requests from the Mau Mau of Kenya and the Herero and Nama of Namibia. The massacres of the Namibian tribes became known as the first genocide of the 20th century.

In 2013, the UK, for instance, cautiously offered "sincere regret" to some 5,000 Kenyans jailed and tortured by British colonial forces during the UK's crushing of the Mau Mau uprising in its former colony. Thousands were killed during the revolt against British rule.

For the first time, the British government agreed to issue £2,600 each to the abuse victims – though not to their descendants – with payouts totalling £20m.

On its website, Colonialism Reparation – that promotes the condemnation, reconciliation, apologies and compensation for imperialism – aims to ensure the colonising nations condemn their past by recognising it as a crime against humanity aswell as exerting pressure to make changes happen.

Based in Turin, Italy, the organisation wants colonisers "(to) compensate the colonised nations for the atrocities and abuses committed thus allowing an improvement in their socio-economic conditions".