Kigali capital of the kingdom was at Nyanza, in the south of the country. The city of Kigali was founded in 1907 by German administrator and explorer Richard Kandt. Rwanda and neighbouring Burundi had been assigned to Germany by the Berlin Conference of 1884, and Germany established a presence in the country in 1897 with the formation of an alliance with the king, Yuhi V Musinga. Kandt arrived in 1899, exploring Lake Kivu and searching for the source of the Nile. When Germany decided in 1907 to separate the administration of Rwanda from that of Burundi, Kandt was appointed as the
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