Rwanda

The present day Republic of Rwanda (République du Rwanda) was originally inhabited by the Twa people, but a series of migrations beginning in 700 BCE brought the Hutu and Tutsi tribes into the region. The Kingdom of Banyarwanda (or Kingdom of Rwanda) was founded by the Tutsi in the 15th century and reigned over the surrounding region into the 19th century, when pressure from European colonial powers forced the kingdom into decline. By the terms of the Berlin Conference, a territory known as Ruanda-Urundi (comprising present day Rwanda and neighboring Burundi) was established and placed under the administration of Germany as part of German East Africa. Following the First World War, the territory came under Belgian administration as part of a mandate from the League of Nations in 1919.