The Eastern Congo 



" In Uganda also the position had been strictly defensive 

 as the regular troops had been withdrawn for the operations in 

 German East Africa, and the training and equipment of the 

 irregular forces which had been raised, necessarily took time. 



" This position was manifestly unsatisfactory as it kept 

 both the Belgian Congo and Uganda frontiers in a state of 

 unrest, hence it was considered advisable for the respective 

 Governments to endeavour to arrange for a combined offen- 

 sive, which would clear the Belgian frontiers and the territory 

 between Lake Victoria on the east and Lakes Edwards and 

 Kivu on the west. A conference was consequently arranged 

 between the two Governments when it was decided that, 

 subject to the approval of the British Commander-in-Chief 

 of the East African operations, General Tombeur, with the 

 Belgian Congo troops, would undertake an immediate advance 

 into the Ruanda, provided the Uganda Government would 

 supply the necessary transport. Mutual action followed and 

 the Belgian Congo force, with the Uganda Transport Corps 

 which had been specially organised for the purpose, started on 

 April 25th, 1916 from Kamwezi, near the Uganda frontier. 



" Ruanda and Urundi were clear of German troops by July, 

 and by September the Belgian Congo troops had reached and 

 occupied Tabora on the Central Railway, The Uganda Defence 

 Force moved forward at the same time and cleared Karagwe ; 

 Bukoba and Muanza being subsequently occupied. An 

 arrangement between the British and Belgian Congo military 

 authorities followed, whereby Ruanda, Urundi and the terri- 

 tory to the west of a line drawn from Namirembe Bay on 

 Lake Victoria to the south-east corner of Tanganyika, came 

 into the Belgian Congo sphere of administration, Karagwe 

 being reserved to the British." 



94 



