A bloody history: Namibia's colonisation

The Herero people were systematically wiped out

With calls for colonial reparations being made in the run up to the racism conference in Durban, Martin Plaut looks at the German colonisation of South West Africa - modern-day Namibia

This is a story that could have been drawn from British India, the Japanese conquest of Manchuria, or the Belgian takeover of the Congo.

German control of the territory began in 1884, when the Chancellor, Otto von Bismark, annexed all of South West Africa after being petitioned by a trader called Adolf Luderitz.

Any Herero found within the German borders with or without a gun, with or without cattle, will be shot.

General von Trotha, October 1904

At first the annexation meant little, but in 1894 crack imperial troops, the Schutztruppe, arrived to enforce rule from Berlin.

Stone forts were built across the territory. Their arrival spurred the growth of colonial communities and white farmers moved further and further into the interior.

The Herero and Nama resented Germans taking their land and introducing foreign laws and taxation.

Rebellion

Towards the end of 1903, under the leadership of Hendrik Witbooi, the Nama rebelled.

Witbooi's rebellion was doomed

Although it was an unequal struggle, the Nama used guerrilla tactics against the Germans to good effect. Months later, the Herero took to the field, and opened one of the bloodiest chapters in colonial history.

On 2 October 1904 the German commander, General von Trotha issued the following proclamation:

"I, the great general of the German troops, send this letter to the Herero people... All Hereros must leave this land... Any Herero found within the German borders with or without a gun, with or without cattle, will be shot. I shall no longer receive any women or children; I will drive them back to their people. I will shoot them. This is my decision for the Herero people."

Death

The general was true to his word.

The German army poisoned wells and shot the Herero

The Herero were machine gunned and their wells were poisoned. Finally they were driven into the desert to die.

This was how colonisation began in what is today Namibia.

Not all colonisation took place in this way, and many colonial administrators went out of their way to develop their colonies - particularly in the run up to independence that came to Africa in the 1960s.

But as delegates gather in Durban, it is an aspect of history worth remembering.