Kigali of what is now Rwanda were the Twa, a group of aboriginal pygmy hunter-gatherers who settled the area between 8000 and 3000 BC and remain in the country today. They were followed between 700 BC and 1500 AD by a number of Bantu groups, including the Hutu and Tutsi, who began clearing forests for agriculture. According to oral history the Kingdom of Rwanda was founded in the 14th century on the shores of Lake Muhazi, around east of modern Kigali. At that time Rwanda was a small state in a loose confederation with larger and more powerful neighbours, Bugesera 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