BB-012 / Genocide
Herero and Namaqua Genocide
The Act
German colonial forces under Lothar von Trotha issued an extermination order against the Herero people and later the Namaqua. Survivors were driven into the desert, denied water, and confined in concentration camps where forced labor and medical experiments occurred. Estimates place Herero deaths at roughly 50–80% of the population and Namaqua losses at roughly 50%.
The Response
Germany issued a formal apology in 2004 and, in 2021, acknowledged the events as genocide while agreeing to development funding for Namibia. The agreement has been controversial among descendant communities who sought direct reparations. The case is frequently cited as a precursor to later 20th-century genocides.