About the Namibia Genocide

DESCRIPTION:

NAMIBIA GENOCIDE

The Namibia Genocide, also known as the Herero and Namaqua Genocide, began on August 16, 1904 and concluded in late 1907 in German Southwest Africa (modern-day Namibia). It is considered the first genocide of the 20th century. The conflict involved the colonial German Empire and the indigenous Herero and Nama peoples. Ultimately, just 20% of the native peoples survived. The rest were killed.

Namibia Genocide—How Did It Start?

The genocide began following a rebellion against German colonial rule. The Herero, led by Samuel Maharero, and later the Nama, led by Hendrik Witbooi, revolted against oppressive colonial policies, including land seizures, cattle theft, and exploitation. The German response to the rebellion was brutal and aimed at quashing resistance.

Namibia Genocide—Why Did It Happen?

The root causes of the genocide were multifaceted, including economic exploitation, racial ideologies, and a desire to assert German imperial control. The German colonial authorities, led by General Lothar von Trotha, adopted policies aiming at the annihilation of the rebelling groups as a means to establish German dominance and eliminate perceived threats to their colonial rule.

Namibia Genocide—How Many Were Killed?

Estimates of the death toll vary, but it is widely acknowledged that up to 65,000 Herero (about 80% of the Herero population) and at least 10,000 Nama (about 50% of the Nama population) died as a result of the genocide. Deaths occurred due to direct violence, starvation, and, for those driven into the desert, dehydration. Disease in concentration camps established by the German authorities further increased the death toll.

Namibia Genocide—What Happened?

The main parties involved were the colonial German military forces and the indigenous Herero and Nama people. Key figures included General Lothar von Trotha, who led the German military campaign, and leaders of the Herero and Nama uprisings, such as Samuel Maharero and Hendrik Witbooi.

General von Trotha issued an extermination order against the Herero in 1904 and extended similar tactics to the Nama. The German military pursued a scorched earth policy, poisoning wells, destroying food sources, and driving the indigenous people into the desert. Those captured found themselves in concentration camps, where they were subjected to forced labor, medical experiments, and conditions that led to a high mortality rate.

Aftermath

The genocide had long-lasting effects on the survivors and their descendants, including loss of land and livestock, which were crucial to their livelihoods and culture.

In 2021, the German government recognized the Namibian Genocide and its part in it and made reparation payments of over $1 billion.

Three Genocides—One Common Thread

Germany's well-meaning but flawed law passed after the Holocaust, the "Reason of State," inadvertently entangled the country in its third genocide within 120 years, the Gaza Genocide (October 8, 2023 - ).

The Reason of State requires Germany provide unconditional diplomatic, financial, and military support to the state of Israel as penance for the Holocaust, including curtailing its citizens' rights in favor of the foreign nation. Because of the law, Germany is an apathetic participant and a primary hurdle in ending the daily massacres, ethnic cleansing, starvation, and the bombing of Gaza. The only other obstacle with more blood on its hands is the United States.

Though the German government did not thoroughly learn the lessons of colonial genocide, the Gaza Genocide is forcing it to re-examine its unconditional support for the nation created from the people it once persecuted, which has turned into one of the greatest persecutors in history.