Change in National and Political Borders

The Tutsi king Mwami Kigeri IV established the borders of Rwanda in the nineteenth century and were the existing borders when the Germans arrived in Rwanda in 1894.[1]  The official national borders were established in 1910 by Colonial agreement.  There have been few changes to the borders in the years since.  The national boundaries of Rwanda lay on boundary lines that have been divided as countries gained independence.  For example, the boundary of Rwanda, Tanzania, and Burundi lies along swamp and river areas.  It was originally an administrative border of German East Africa and was retained during Belgian rule.  It became part of the national borders of the three countries when they gained Independence in the early 1960s.[2]

In 1959 it was recommended that Rwanda and Burundi become a unified state by the Belgian Trusteeship Agreement.  In 1962 that agreement was terminated as both Rwanda and Burundi determined that they were too divided by unresolvable issues to unite.[3]  Although not officially recognized, there was a dividing boundary between Rwanda and Burundi during German Colonial rule through World War I.[4]  The countries accepted the boundary as an official border when they gained independence.

The national boundaries of Rwanda have remained for the most part stable throughout the years.  That aided in enabling a divisive nature within the country and with its neighboring country of Burundi.  The two countries share many of the same cultural and economic trends and were in the past considered together to be the territory of Ruanda-Urundi.  The political boundaries of Rwanda have not been as static.  

 

           Map of the Provinces of Rwanda since 2006                                                                                               image by Actnx, "Provinces Since 1 January 2006," Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Maps_of_Rwanda#/media/File:Rwanda_Provinces_2006.png

                          Map of the Provinces of Rwanda prior to 2006                                                                                             image by Actnx, "Map of the Provinces of Rwanda, Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rwanda_Provinces.png

Since 2006, Rwanda is comprised of five provinces.  Previously, there were twelve provinces.  This took place as part of a decentralization within the country.  Along with reforming boundary lines of the provinces, there were locations and cities that were renamed.[5]  The act of renaming places has been part of Rwanda’s goal of unifying the country’s people and overcoming previous ethnic distinctions. 

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[1] “Rwanda-History,” East African Living Encyclopedia, https://www.africa.upenn.edu/NEH/rwhistory.htm, ¶4.

^[2] “Rwanda-Geography,” East African Living Encyclopedia, https://www.africa.upenn.edu/NEH/rwgeography.htm, ¶1.

[3] “Rwanda-History,”¶10.

[4] “Rwanda-Geography,”¶2.

[5] Bert Ingalaere, “The Ruler’s Drum and the People’s Shout,” in Remaking Rwanda: State Building and Human Rights after Mass Violence, eds. Scott Straus, and Lars Waldorf (Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin Press, 2011), 69.