Postage stamps and postal history of Rwanda Postage stamps and postal history of Rwanda This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Rwanda. The "Republic of Rwanda" is a landlocked country located in the Great Lakes region of eastern-central Africa, bordered by Uganda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania. The first stamps used in the area now known as Rwanda were stamps of German East Africa which was the colonial power in the area until 1916 when Belgian troops seized the territory during the First World War. Stamps of Ruanda-Urundi were then used until independence. The first stamps of independent
History of Rwanda and division seemed to open the door for colonialism, and in 1897 German colonialists and missionaries arrived in Rwanda. The Rwandans were divided; a portion of the royal court was wary and the other thought the Germans might be a good alternative to dominance by Buganda or the Belgians. Backing their faction in the country a pliant government was soon in place. Rwanda put up less resistance than Burundi did to German rule. In the early years the Germans had little direct control in the region and completely relied on the indigenous government. The Germans did not encourage modernization and