Ruanda-Urundi << roo AHN dah oo ROON dee >> was a European-controlled territory in east-central Africa that consisted of two kingdoms, Rwanda and Burundi. European control of the region began in the 1890’s. The European colonial powers used the spellings Ruanda and Urundi. Both of these kingdoms became independent nations in 1962.
The Germans first set up a military post in the region in 1896. Soon, they made the area part of German East Africa. Belgium gained control of the territory in 1916, during World War I. In 1923, Ruanda-Urundi became a mandated territory, administered by Belgium under the League of Nations (see Mandated territory). In 1946, it became a United Nations trust territory under Belgian control.
The peoples of Ruanda-Urundi spoke nearly identical Bantu languages. One group, the Tutsi (sometimes called the Batusi, or Watusi), formed a small minority that dominated a larger group, the Hutu, politically and economically. The Europeans strengthened Tutsi dominance by giving them privileged access to education at missions and to administrative training.
During the 1950’s, tension created by Tutsi domination led to social unrest. In 1962, after much fighting, the Hutu gained control of the newly independent Rwanda government. In Burundi, the Tutsi continued to dominate a large Hutu majority, even after the kingdom gained its independence in 1962.
