RuandaUrundis

Ruanda-Urundi was a United Nations trust territory in eastern Africa, administered by Belgium. It encompassed the present-day nations of Rwanda and Burundi. The territory was established in 1946 following the dissolution of the League of Nations and the transfer of former Italian, French, and British colonies to the UN Trusteeship Council. Historically, the region was known for its complex social and political structures, often characterized by a hierarchical system with a Tutsi aristocracy and a Hutu majority. The Belgian administration largely maintained and sometimes exacerbated these existing divisions. Economic activity in Ruanda-Urundi was primarily agricultural, with coffee and cotton being significant exports. The territory experienced periods of political unrest and ethnic tensions throughout its administration. In 1962, Ruanda-Urundi was dissolved, and its two constituent parts, Rwanda and Burundi, gained independence as separate sovereign states. The legacy of colonial administration and the ethnic divisions it influenced continued to shape the post-independence history of both nations.