20. The Horrific Herero and Nama Genocide
Led by General Lothar von Trotha, the German soldiers pursued the Herero survivors into the desert. To prevent them from accessing water, they placed armed guards on water sources or poisoned the wells. As a result, thousands died from thirst. On October 4th, 1904, Trotha reported to his superiors: “I believe that this [Herero] nation as a nation must be exterminated… I prefer for the nation to disappear entirely rather than allow them to infect our troops with their diseases“.
As to the Nama, the German settlers called for their extermination. Those who did not flee were sent to concentration camps, and a third of the captives died en route before they reached the camps. Once in the camps, many more died of epidemics and mistreatment. The captives were subjected to forced labor, beaten, whipped, and tortured, while many of the women were raped or made into concubines. In total, about 65,000 Herero, 80% of their total population, perished in the horrific genocide. 10,000 Nama, 50% of that people, were also killed.