The German president vented "shame" over Tanzania's colonial atrocities committed by his nation.

One of the bloodiest anti-colonial uprisings occurred in the early 1900s when German forces put nearly 300,000 people to death during the Maji Maji rebellion.

Speaking in Songea, the site of the rebellion, at a museum was President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

"I would like to ask for forgiveness for what Germans did to your ancestors here," he said.

"What happened here is our shared history, the history of your ancestors, and the history of our ancestors in Germany."

The Maji Maji rebellion was incited by a German policy aimed at coercing the native population into cultivating cotton for export. At the time, Tanzania was a part of German East Africa, encompassing present-day Rwanda, Burundi, and sections of Mozambique.

During a visit to the Tanzanian city of Songea, President Steinmeier conveyed his hope that Tanzania and Germany could collaboratively confront the historical legacy of this period. He pledged to bring these narratives back to Germany to raise awareness among his fellow countrymen.

Germany, until recently, has grappled with a form of "colonial amnesia," as noted by Jürgen Zimmerer, a history professor at the University of Hamburg. However, it seems the visit and acknowledgment of these events by President Steinmeier signify a step toward addressing this historical amnesia.

"The brutality and the racism of this colonial empire was not understood by the German public."

During his three-day visit, the President met the descendants of Chief Songea Mbano, one of the leaders of the Maji Maji rebellion who was executed in 1906. Chief Songea Mbano is now regarded as a national hero in Tanzania, and President Steinmeier assured the family that German authorities would make efforts to locate his remains.

Thousands of human remains were brought from German colonies, partly as "trophies" and also for racist research. Jürgen Zimmerer, a history professor, pointed out the lack of substantial funding available to identify the origins of these bones and skulls, which are dispersed in various museums and institutions. Some descendants of the victims have managed to trace their ancestors' remains through DNA tests.

In a meeting with President Samia Suluhu Hassan in Dar es Salaam, President Steinmeier pledged Germany's cooperation with Tanzania for the repatriation of cultural property. While Tanzania historian Mohamed Said appreciated the president's apology, he also expressed the view that it fell short of addressing the full extent of the historical issues.

"They decided to set farms on fire so people would run out of food and be unable to fight. This is unacceptable, in today's world they would be taken to court," he said.

Germany formally admitted to committing genocide in Namibia during its occupation in 2021 and announced financial assistance totaling more than €1.1 billion (£940 million; $1.34 billion).

The statements from Germany's president come after King Charles acknowledged the "abhorrent and unjustifiable acts of violence committed against Kenyans" during their independence struggle, while on a visit to Nairobi.

However, the British monarch did not deliver a formal apology which would have to be decided by government ministers.