List of colonial governors of Ruanda-Urundi

This is a list of European colonial administrators responsible for the territory of Ruanda-Urundi, an area equivalent to modern-day Rwanda and Burundi. Ruanda-Urundi formed part of German East Africa until it was captured by Belgian forces during World War I. After that, the territory became a Class B League of Nations mandate, and later a United Nations trust territory, under the administration of Belgium, until 1962 when the constituent parts of the territory became independent.
German rule
Military District of Ujiji
| Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Position | Term of office | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| Hans von Ramsay (1862–1938) | Commander | May 1896 | 189? | ||
| Heinrich Bethe | 1898 | February 1901 | 2–3 years | ||
Military District of Usumbura
| Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Position | Term of office | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| Heinrich Bethe | Commander | 1899 | 1902 | 2–3 years | |
| Friedrich Robert von Beringe (1865–1940) | August 1902 | February 1904 | 1 year, 6 months | ||
| Werner von Grawert (1867–1918) | February 1904 | June 1906 | 2 years, 4 months | ||
Military Residency of Urundi and Ruanda
| Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Position | Term of office | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| Werner von Grawert (1867–1918) | Military Resident | 1906 | 15 November 1907 | 0–1 years | |
On 15 November 1907, the Military Residency of Urundi and Ruanda was divided into two civil residencies: Ruanda and Urundi.
Belgian rule

Territories south of Lake Victoria (including Northern Ruanda)
| Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Position | Term of office | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| Philippe Molitor (1869–1952) | Commander of the Northern Brigade | April 1916 | 1916 | 0 years | |
| Armand Huyghé (1871–1944) | 1916 | 1917 | 0–1 years | ||
Territories east of Lake Kivu and Lake Tanganyika (including Southern Ruanda and Urundi)
| Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Position | Term of office | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| Frederik-Valdemar Olsen (1877–1962) | Commander of the Southern Brigade | May 1916 | 1917 | 0–1 years | |
Occupied East African territories
| Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Position | Term of office | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| Charles Tombeur (1867–1947) | Military Governor | April 1916 | 22 November 1916 | 7 months | |
| Justin Malfeyt (1862–1924) | Royal Commissioner | 22 November 1916 | May 1919 | 2 years, 5 months | |
| Alfred Marzorati (1881–1955) | May 1919 | 20 October 1924 | 5 years, 5 months | ||
| Pierre Ryckmans (1891–1959) | Acting Royal Commissioner | November 1921 | July 1922 | 8 months | [a] |
Ruanda-Urundi mandate / trust territory

| Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Position | Term of office | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| Alfred Marzorati (1881–1955) | Royal Commissioner | 20 October 1924 | 28 August 1926 | 1 year, 312 days | [b] |
| Pierre Ryckmans (1891–1959) | Acting Royal Commissioner | 15 November 1925 | 13 December 1926 | 1 year, 28 days | [c] |
| Alfred Marzorati (1881–1955) | Governor and Deputy Governor-General of the Belgian Congo | 28 August 1926 | 5 February 1929 | 2 years, 161 days | [d] |
| Louis Postiaux (1882–1948) | Acting Governor and Deputy Governor-General of the Belgian Congo | 5 February 1929 | 4 July 1930 | 1 year, 149 days | |
| Charles Voisin (1887–1942) | Governor and Deputy Governor-General of the Belgian Congo | 4 July 1930 | 18 August 1932 | 2 years, 45 days | |
| Eugène Jungers (1888–1958) | 18 August 1932 | 5 July 1946 | 13 years, 321 days | ||
| Maurice Simon (1892–1960) | 5 July 1946 | August 1949 | 3 years | [e] | |
| Léo Pétillon (1903–1996) | August 1949 | 1 January 1952 | 2 years, 5 months | ||
| Alfred Claeys-Boùùaert (1906–1993) | 1 January 1952 | 1 March 1955 | 3 years, 59 days | ||
| Jean-Paul Harroy (1909–1995) | 1 March 1955 | 1960 | 7 years, 122 days | ||
| Resident-General | 1960 | 1 July 1962 | ||||
On 1 July 1962, the constituent parts of Ruanda-Urundi became independent as the Republic of Rwanda (République du Rwanda) and the Kingdom of Burundi (Royaume du Burundi), respectively.
See also
- Minister of the Colonies (Belgium)
- List of colonial governors of the Congo Free State and Belgian Congo
- List of kings of Rwanda
- List of presidents of Rwanda
- List of kings of Burundi
- List of presidents of Burundi








