Divided: Rwanda

The colonial borders divide the Kinyarwanda-Rundi speaking community almost in half, with a small group over the border into the Democratic Republic of Congo. The original political settlement of the region after independence had one faction rule one country, and the other the other.

Since independence, Rwanda has been the scene of a terrible genocide between people who could easily communicate with each other. Some of this, no doubt, was a legacy of the class rule that existed before, and was formalized by, the Belgians during their occupation.

Almost every border in Africa was imposed by European colonialists, most of them as consequence of the European plan for the colonization of Africa. The Berlin Conference formalized it .

This is a large map of all African languages which shows only Rwanda and Burundi have linguistic borders based.

History

Rwanda-urundi was a colony of Germany, first part of German Tanganyika, given to Belgium by 'mandate' after the first World War and ruled until independence. How did Germany become the only country in Europe to get an African colony based on linguistic borders? Did they carve Rwanda-Urundi off of Tanganyika? Was is the move of a colonial administrator or the central government? This might be a profitable line of research.

The Belgians are infamous for their inhumane treatment of its overseas colonies. Both Rwanda and Burundi were at that time one country, known as Ruanda-rundi. Hutus and Tutsis exist in both sections. As indpendence approached, elections were held and the Hutu majorities in Rwanda gave them power. In the Rundi area, concerned Tutsis from the existing leadership arranged to have the country split in two, setting up a constitutional monarchy in Rundi lands.

Almost everyone who speaks Rwandan lives in Rwanda, and no other language group forms a majority in any region of the country. Even more so, Burundi the nation follows the outlines of the Rundi speaking people.