Herero and Namaqua Genocide

The Herero and Namaqua Genocide occurred between 1904 and 1908 in what is now Namibia, then a German colony called German South West Africa. Tensions arose from colonial exploitation and land seizure. In response to uprisings by the Herero and Nama people, German colonial forces enacted brutal reprisals, including massacres and forced internment in concentration camps. By 1908, an estimated 80% of the Herero and up to 50% of the Nama population had died from violence, starvation, and disease, marking one of the first genocides of the 20th century and highlighting the devastating impacts of colonialism.