An Askari was an African colonial soldier recruited by the armies of Europe from their colonies in Africa, mainly from Northeast Africa, Central Africa, and the African Great Lakes (the area around Burundi, D.R. Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda). During the period of the colonial empires, they were mainly employed by the United Kingdom, France, the German Empire, Belgium, Portugal, and Italy, conquering various colonial possessions alongside white soldiers. They served as garrison and internal security forces as well as soldiers fighting abroad during World War I and World War II.