Hunter-gatherers settled the territory in the stone and iron ages , followed later by Bantu peoples . The population coalesced first into clans and then into kingdoms . The Kingdom of Rwanda dominated from the mid-eighteenth century , with the Tutsi kings conquering others militarily , centralising power and later enacting anti-Hutu policies . Germany colonised Rwanda in 1884 as part of German East Africa , followed by Belgium , which invaded in 1916 during World War I. Both European nations ruled through the kings and perpetuated a pro-Tutsi policy . The Hutu population revolted in 1959 . They massacred numerous Tutsi and ultimately established an independent , Hutu-dominated state in 1962 . A 1973 military coup saw a change of leadership , but pro-Hutu policy remained . The Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front launched a civil war in 1990 . The presidents of Rwanda and Burundi , both Hutus , died together when their plane was shot down in April 1994 . Social tensions erupted in the 1994 genocide , in which Hutu extremists killed an estimated 500,000 to 1 million Tutsi and moderate Hutu . The RPF ended the genocide with a military victory
1994 genocide
Rwandan genocide
Rwanda