Latest / The History of Belgium: A Small Country with a Giant Colonial Legacy — Fexingo History / The 1916 Belgian Conquest of Ruanda-Urundi
Transcript
- Lucas: So, we've talked a lot about the Congo and King Leopold's brutal regime, but there's a whole other chapter of Belgian colonial history that started during World War I — the conquest and occupation of Ruanda-Urundi, what's now Rwanda and Burundi. Luna: Oh right, that was German territory before the war, wasn't it? Lucas: Exactly. German East Africa was a huge colony that included modern Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and a chunk of Mozambique. When war broke out in Europe, the Allies moved quickly to snap up German colonies. In Africa, the British and Belgians coordinated to take down the German forces there. Lucas: For Belgium, it wasn't just about fighting the Germans — it was about expanding their own colonial footprint. They already had the massive Congo, but Ruanda-Urundi was strategically located on its eastern border. The Belgians saw an opportunity. Luna: And they had the Force Publique ready to go. Lucas: Exactly. The Force Publique, which we've talked about in earlier episodes — that colonial army — was mobilized for the campaign. The commander was General Charles Tombeur, a seasoned officer who had served in the Congo. He led a force of about 10,000 men, mostly African askaris with Belgian officers. Lucas: The campaign started in April 1916. The Belgians advanced from the Congo into Ruanda from the west. They faced the German Schutztruppe, a well-trained colonial force under the legendary commander Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, though he was mostly tied up fighting the British further east. Luna: So the Belgians had a bit of an advantage then. Lucas: In some ways, yes. The Germans in Ruanda-Urundi were outnumbered and cut off from reinforcements. The Belgians took Kigali, the main town, in May 1916 with little resistance. Then they pushed south to Usumbura, the capital of Urundi, which fell in June. By July, the whole territory was under Belgian control. Luna: That seems almost too easy. Were there any real battles? Lucas: There were skirmishes, but the Germans mostly retreated or surrendered without major fights. The biggest challenge was logistics — moving troops and supplies through the mountainous, forested terrain. Porters carried everything, and disease was a constant threat. The Force Publique lost more men to illness than to combat. Lucas: But the occupation itself was significant. The Belgians set up a military administration and began governing Ruanda-Urundi. After the war, the Treaty of Versailles formally stripped Germany of its colonies, and in 1919, the League of Nations granted Belgium a mandate over Ruanda-Urundi. That mandate lasted until the 1960s. Luna: So Belgium added a whole new colony, even after the Congo Free State scandal. Lucas: Exactly. And the way they governed Ruanda-Urundi was different from the Congo. The Belgians practiced indirect rule, working through the existing Tutsi monarchy and hierarchy. They reinforced the Tutsi's privileged position, which deepened ethnic divisions between Hutu and Tutsi. That had long-term consequences, as we know from the 1994 genocide. Luna: It's crazy to think that a World War I campaign set the stage for that. Lucas: Yeah, the colonial legacy is profound. And it all started with this relatively quick military operation in 1916. The Belgians held onto Ruanda-Urundi until independence, and their policies shaped the region for decades. Lucas: One interesting detail: during the campaign, the Belgian forces also captured a German steamer on Lake Tanganyika, the 'Hedwig von Wissmann'. They renamed it the 'Baron Dhanis' and used it to control the lake. That gave them a strategic advantage in the region. Luna: A steamer? That's a very colonial detail. Lucas: Right? It shows how important controlling waterways was. Lake Tanganyika was a key transport route. The British and Belgians actually cooperated closely in this theater — the British brought a naval force to the lake, and the Belgians provided ground troops. It was one of the few successful Allied joint operations in Africa. Luna: I didn't realize Belgium and Britain worked together like that. Lucas: They did, though not always smoothly. There were disputes over post-war boundaries and who got what. But ultimately, Belgium got its mandate, and the British got Tanganyika. The borders they drew still exist today. Lucas: You know, speaking of the campaign and its legacy — it's a reminder that history is full of these turning points that we don't always think about. And it's thanks to listeners like you that we can dig into these stories and share them. If you've been enjoying these conversations about Europe and its colonies, and you'd like to help us keep the show ad-free and independent, you can support us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Every little bit helps us keep researching and bringing you these deep dives. Luna: Yeah, it really does make a difference. We love doing this, and knowing it's valued keeps us going. Lucas: Absolutely. So, back to Ruanda-Urundi — after the war, the Belgians had to figure out how to administer this new territory. They decided to rule through the existing Tutsi kings, but with Belgian officials overseeing everything. This system, called 'indirect rule', was meant to be efficient, but it also entrenched ethnic hierarchies. Luna: And the Tutsi were the minority, right? Lucas: Yes, about 15% of the population. The Belgians issued identity cards that classified people as Hutu, Tutsi, or Twa, based largely on cattle ownership and physical stereotypes. That rigid classification didn't exist before colonization to such an extent. It created a racialized social structure that later fueled conflict. Lucas: The Belgians also introduced cash crops, like coffee, and forced labor for infrastructure projects. The traditional chiefs were co-opted into collecting taxes and recruiting workers. So even though it was 'indirect', it was still exploitative. Luna: Sounds like the same playbook as the Congo, just with a different look. Lucas: In many ways, yes. The brutality was less extreme than under Leopold, but the system was still designed to extract wealth and control people. And it had its own forms of violence — there were revolts, like the 1928 rebellion in Ruanda, which the Belgians suppressed with force. Lucas: The mandate lasted until 1962, when Rwanda and Burundi became independent. By then, the ethnic divisions were deeply entrenched. The 1994 genocide didn't come out of nowhere — it had roots in these colonial policies. Luna: That's so heavy. It makes you realize how much a few decades of colonial rule can shape a country's future. Lucas: Exactly. And that's why we cover this history — to understand how the past echoes into the present. The Belgian campaign in 1916 wasn't just a footnote in World War I; it was the beginning of a new colonial chapter that had lasting consequences. Luna: I'm glad we finally talked about Ruanda-Urundi. It fills in a big gap in the story. Lucas: Me too. And there's so much more to explore — the specific resistance movements, the role of the Catholic Church, the economic changes. But that's for another episode.