Conflicts & Resolutions · War

Herero Wars

1904–1908 · 20th century

The Herero Wars were the colonial wars in German South West Africa, now Namibia, in which the Herero and then the Nama rose against German rule in 1904. After the Battle of Waterberg in August 1904, General Lothar von Trotha drove the Herero into the Omaheke desert and issued an order of extermination. Most of the Herero and about half of the Nama died, in what is recognised as genocide.

Herero Wars
Image: Richard Knötel (1857-1914) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Battles and settlements

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Herero Wars. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/herero-wars
MLA
“Herero Wars.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/herero-wars. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Herero Wars.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/herero-wars.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Herero Wars’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/herero-wars (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻