21. The British Empire introduced concentration camps during the Second Boer War.
During the Second Boer War, British commander, Lord Kitchener, decided upon a scorched earth policy to eliminate the guerillas which were plaguing their British masters: “organized like a sporting shoot, with success defined in a weekly ‘bag’ of killed, captured, and wounded”. Kitchener ordered his troops to eliminate anything which potentially could provide aid to guerilla fighters, “including women and children”. Women and children were systematically herded into concentration camps, where disease, malnutrition, and poor sanitation led to the deaths of thousands. In total, 45 camps were built for the Boers, and another 64 for black African natives. Kitchener remained indifferent to the conditions in the camp despite public outcry in Great Britain.