The Khaua-Mbandjeru rebellion was an uprising of Africans in German South West Africa which took place in 1896. The rebellion preceded the Herero and Namaqua Genocide, which began around 1904. In 1894, Theodor Leutwein was appointed the commissioner of German South West Africa. One of his tasks was to establish German authority throughout the colony. This task interfered with the tribal organization of local peoples. Shortly before this, a German trader was found murdered in the territory of around Naosanabis (today's Leonardville). When Curt von François, the predecessor of Leutwein, demanded the murderer be handed over to the German authorities, the Khaua chief, Andreas Lambert, refused. Additionally, the Khaua attacked a tribal group in Bechuanaland, which was under German protection.