How did Belgian colonial administrators reorganize Burundi in the late 1920s?

During the late 1920s, Belgian colonial administrators reorganized Burundi as part of their administration of the Ruanda-Urundi mandate. A primary result of this administrative reorganization was the elimination of most traditional chiefs and subchiefs.12

Beyond this structural change, the Belgian administration reinforced a system that rigidified ethnic categories. By applying European models of ethnic distinction and exhibiting bias toward physical characteristics such as height and skin tone, the colonial authorities favored the Tutsi minority, granting them preference in local administration and consolidating power within that group. This policy effectively ended the historical fluidity between the Hutu and Tutsi categories, contributing to long-term social and political tensions.12