Burundi: The colonizer reduced the area of Burundi and Rwanda to weaken Tutsis and better control these states (fourth part).
After the Berlin Conference
In the line of our approach, we are interested today to know what followed the Berlin conference. The historians tell us that the history of the colony begins with Carl Peters, founder of the company for German colonization. On March 3, 1885, the German Government announced that it had issued an imperial authorization to Peters with the intention of establishing a protectorate in East Africa. Before the protests of the Sultan of Zanzibar, who also considered ourselves sovereign on the continent, Bismarck sent five ships of war that attacked the Palace of Sultan on August 7, 1885. Germany and Great Britain then shared the territory of the Current mainland Tanzania.
Germany quickly took possession of Bagamoyo, Dar es Salaam and Kilwa. The revolt of Abushiri, who burst in 1888, was controlled with the help of Great Britain the following year. In 1890, London and Berlin signed the Treaty of Heligoland-Zanzibar, which gave Heligoland to Germany and defined the limits of German East Africa – the exact boundaries were not traced in 1910.
It is therefore with the Berlin Conference of 1885, formalizing the division and sharing of Africa which will lead a little later to the occupation of Burundi, Tanganyika and other African countries like Cameroon, Togo and Namibia for twenty years. After a stubborn resistance that has resulted in the invaders, including the slavery Mohammed Ben Khalfan (better known as Rumaliza), the Abadasigana (Mwezi Gisabo Army) have resisted a lot to the Germans who had firearms including machine guns. We have already seen that this resistance with traditional material like spears, arches and arrows, the stones was based on the spirit of unity, cohesion and patriotism without fault. He finally noticed the superiority of force. Vanquished but not resigned, some Burundians will rise. The occupant has trouble situating his power in Burundi. Several nationalist resistances will explode. Among other things, Mugongo will be retained by Ntarugera, son of Mwezi Gisabo, against Captain Von Bethe who did 130 dead and cost this chief a tribute of 80 cows. An attack remained engraved in the memory of Burundians: that of May 1899 against a caravan visiting the mission of MUGERA. Following this bloody attack, the Germans will undertake a punitive expedition against Mwezi Gisabo. His ndago enclosure was burned.
Captain von Bering will come to the end of Mwezi Gisabo’s resistance. He manages to dislodge him from his capitals and forces him to lock south in Burunga. The king will be forced to agree to negotiate, which will lead on June 06 to the Treaty of Kiganda. Other resistances will be killed in the egg like the one led by Chief Muzazi who had managed to fire the mission of Muyaga.
As early as 1896, Burundi falls under the play of the Protectorate of German East Africa. From 1882 to 1896 The Urundi is integrated into the Tanganyika-Kivu district with Ujiji as a chief town. This position was moved to Usumbura and Ruanda-Urundi formed a district apart from which USumbura is the capital. A German post is founded in Kajaga, an inhospitable corner located on the shores of Lake Tanganyika where are a lot of harmful insects. It is this inhospitality that obliged the Germans to transfer the capital to “Kitega” (Gitega) against 50 rupees given to King Mutaga IV Mbikije.
King Mwezi Gisabo, old and worn by the dissent (including Kirima and Maconco) ends up submitting to the Germans. This submission is materialized by the delivery of the German flag and a letter of protectorate to the king, but also by sharing the Kingdom: Kirima receives Bukeye, and Maconco, Muramvya. Even if Mwezi Gisabo is dedicated Supreme Sovereign of the country, this submission marks the end of the sovereignty of the kingdom.
The Germans will push the outrequency further, and require Mwezi Gisabo a fine of 424 cows as a repair. It undertakes, in addition, to no longer disturb the actions of the mission of MUGERA and to provide free workers for the construction of the road Muyaga-USumbura
In 1906, Urundi and Rwanda were divided into two separate administrative entities. A new resident was allocated to Burundi to replace Von Bering, in the person of Von Grawert, who had mission to unify Burundi. The leaders who continued to deliver retaliation to the German occupant will be matched. The rivals of the king were also fought. Maconco was killed around USumbura. As for Kirima, it will be deported to New Langeberg (Malawi) in 1906 after its capital Munanira was attacked and burned. “The dreamed goal of constituting the kingdom’s unity was reached,” writes Jean Pierre Chrétien. But the king is not going to enjoy the fruits of unification of his kingdom because he dies on August 21, 1908 in Buhonga. After the unification of the Kingdom under the reign of Mwezi Gisabo will follow the policy of ” Divide and Impera ” (divide to reign) piloted by the governor von Rechemberg under the reign of Mutaga Mbikije.
We will come back
URN Hitamwoneza regrets to see that today’s von Rechemberg today is Evariste Ndayishimiye and his military clique who divided the Burundians; on the one hand in relation to their ethnicity and on the other hand with respect to their political affiliation. The Hutus of the CNDFDD are called, by its Truth and Reconciliation Commission, to take revenge against Tutsis unfairly accused of killing their fathers or grandfathers in 1972. They are persecuted, muzzled, waiting for the moment of genocide to large scale. The military clique divided the Hutus by excluding CNL members from all responsibilities and rather seeking to eliminate them. Its goal is known; it is ” Divide to reign ”. As von Rechemerg left, the military clique must also leave for the Burundi to be completely released. If it’s not today, it’s tomorrow. We will then have to put us all without exception and immediately because tomorrow is likely to be too late.