 The term "bula matari" came to signify the irresistible and compelling force of the colonial state.The Belgian Congo was directly involved in the two world wars.During World War I, an initial stand-off between the Force Publique and the German colonial army in German East Africa (Tanganyika) turned into open warfare with a joint Anglo-Belgian invasion of German colonial territory in 1916 and 1917 during the East African Campaign.