Hat 8269 Ruga-Ruga Warriors

Ruga-Ruga is the collective term for irregular troops recruited from the indigenous peoples of East Africa by the troops of the European colonial empires. The first mentions of Ruga-Ruga soldiers, or rather warriors, appear around 1820, when they were hired to protect the caravans. They also probably served during Sir Henry Morton Stanley's expeditions into Africa in the 1870s. Ruga-Ruga warriors also took an active part in World War I. They served in both the British and German armies, fighting especially in German East Africa. It is estimated that in the course of this conflict, a total of about 12,000 Ruga-Ruga warriors served on the German side. It is worth adding that the combat value of Ruga-Ruga units was varied and often depended on who they were fighting with and on what territory. It is worth adding, however, that some Ruga-Ruga fighters were among the last German troops capitulating by the British in November 1918.