Kigali The first businesses were established in Kigali that year by Greek and Indian merchants, with assistance from Baganda and Swahili people. Items traded included cloth and beads. However, commercial activity was limited and there were only around 30 firms in the city by 1914. Kandt also opened government-run schools in Kigali, which began educating Tutsi students. Belgian forces took control of Rwanda and Burundi in 1916, during World War I, and were granted sovereignty by a League of Nations mandate in 1919.. In early 1917, Belgium attempted to assert direct rule on the colony, placing King Musinga under arrest and
Kigali on three fronts, seeking to link up quickly with its isolated troops in Kigali. The RPF advanced steadily, capturing large areas of the countryside to the north and east of Kigali, but avoiding an attack on the city itself, because the city was too heavily defended. They instead conducted manoeuvres designed to encircle Kigali and cut off supply routes, as well as capturing the rest of the country. By mid-June, the RPF encirclement was complete, and they began fighting for the city itself. The government forces had superior manpower and weapons but the RPF fought tactically, and were able to