The area of Rwanda was part of German East Africa from 1894, passing to Belgian control after the First World War. Rwanda became independent as a republic in 1962, shortly after the violent overthrow of the Tutsi monarchy by the majority Hutu people. In 1994 more than 500,000 people, largely Tutsis, were slaughtered by predominantly Hutu supporters of the government, and over a million fled as refugees into the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring countries. The Tutsi-dominated Rwandan Patriotic Front took power as the new government.