Rwanda was first colonized by Imperial Germany from 1897 to 1918, but after the first World War, Germany conceded the territory, and it was placed under Belgian authority -- first under a League of Nations mandate and then as a United Nations Trust from 1918 until the country’s independence on July 1, 1962.When the Belgians came into Rwanda, they found King Yuhi Musinga ruling, whom they forced into exile in the Congo because he was a friend to Imperial Germany. The Belgians replaced him with his son, who became King Mutara III. However, the new King in turn died under mysterious and questionable conditions after receiving an injection from a Belgian doctor – who was supposedly administering medical assistance.King Kigeli V came onto the throne on July 27, 1959 -- against the will of the Belgians --upon the funeral of H.M. King Mutara III. The Governor who was representing the Belgian government informed the public that the Belgian government were going to replace the King with a Regent, and later on they, NOT the people of Rwanda following local custom and precedent, would decide if Rwanda would become a Republic or not. The Vice-President of the Supreme Council of Rwanda, on behalf of the Rwandan public, informed the Belgian Governor that under the laws and customs of traditional Rwanda, a King cannot be buried before the announcement of the new Mwami. Furthermore, in accordance with the decree the Belgian government signed in 1952, a new Mwami must be appointed upon the death of a ruling King.Thus, following the Rwandan tradition, the name of the inheritor of the throne (le prince heritier) is kept in secret because of the security reasons, so the Vice-President of the Supreme Council called the representatives of the royal family -- who held the secret of the next King – to convene. Subsequently, Mr. Kayumba informed the public that the new King would be the prince Ndahindurwa, and he would take the throne name of King Kigeli V. The public cheered and celebrated the announcement of H.M. King Kigeli V so much that the new King was immediately called to the event. Thus, the new King was brought in front of the Belgian Governor and other dignitaries who were there for the funeral (among them were H.M. King Mwambutsa of Burundi, Archibishop Perraudin, Archibishop Bigirumwami, and others). Given the strength of the public support for H.M. King Kigeli, the Belgian Governor, Mr. Jean Paul Harroy, had no alternative but to say that he would inform his government of the new King.It seems clear in retrospect that the Belgian government decided to attempt to divide the people of Rwanda to weaken the government, and therefore it is not surprising that some extremist Hutus, supported by the Belgians, began harassing the peoples of Rwanda later that year. As a result, King Kigeli V asked the Belgian Governor, the aforementioned Mr. Jean Paul Harroy, to assist in the logistical coordination of the King visiting the Secretary General of the United Nations, the late Dag Hammarskjold, who was visiting Kinshasa in Congo. The two met and the King briefed Mr. Hammarskjold on the worsening situation. The Secretary General then invited His Majesty to come to New York and to brief the situation to the General Assembly of United Nations. King Kigeli V agreed and arranged the visit. During this absence, in which time the King was trying to unify the Rwandan people, the Belgian government seized the opportunity to ban his return using Belgian soldiers, refusing to allow the King back into his own country. This is how King Kigeli V came to be in exile. Betrayed by the Belgian government, he stayed in Kinshasa where he was given a residence and treated with the respect due a Head of State by his dear friend Premier Minister Patrice Lumumba. He further went to New York to brief the General Assembly of United Nations and asked for the independence of Rwanda.In the General Assembly of the United Nations, King Kigeli V was very successful in his plea and the vote for independence passed. Thus, the General Assembly accepted the independence of Rwanda and attached the following stipulations upon the Belgian government:1. All refugees of Rwanda who had fled under the Belgian oppressors must be allowed to repatriate to the country.2. The rightful ruler, King Kigeli V, must be allowed to return to the country.3. Belgium must allow Rwanda to conduct its own political affairs as a sovereign nation.None of these provisions were respected by the Belgian government, and at the end of 1961, the Belgians unilaterally proclaimed Rwanda a republic and granted formal independence to the country the following year on July 1st.As resolved by the United Nations, during the first election before independence, King Kigeli V went to Rwanda to assist the first elections, but he ran into a complication – all Belgian guards at the border had orders to illegally arrest the King if he tried to return. Thus, His Majesty left Tanzania during the night for friendly Burundi, and then from Burundi crossed the Rwanda border with the assistance of a pregnant woman who posed as if she was about to deliver. When the Belgian paratroopers at the border began to harass the pregnant lady, a case of beers was procured and delivered to the Belgian troops. As the Belgians happily drank their beers, the King crossed the border and arrived in Kigali a little after midnight. By the next dawn, many people heard rumors that the King had returned to their country, and they celebrated. But the Belgians intervened and arrested him, taking him by military helicopter to Bujumbura, where he was placed under house-arrest.Fortunately, before he left Tanzania (where he was living in exile), King Kigeli V informed the former President Julius Nyerere about his trip and how the visit was in accord with the resolutions of the General Assembly of United Nations. As soon as Julius Nyerere heard of the arrest, he sent a telegram to the Belgian governor of Rwanda and Burundi, the same Mr. Jean Paul Harroy, telling him that if the Belgians continue to refuse to abide by United Nations resolutions, they should send the King immediately to Dar-es-salaam; if the Belgians do not, all Belgians living in Dar-es-salaam would be arrested. Mr. Jean Paul Harroy acquiesced and sent His Majesty back to Tanzania -- accompanied by two Belgians to ensure the King did nothing further to try to help his people. This was the last time King Kigeli V has been in Rwanda.
