It was awarded in silver to Belgian military personnel and in bronze to indigenous personnel who participated in the campaigns in Cameroun, Rhodesia, German East Africa and on the Eastern borders of the Belgian Congo between 1914 and 1918. In 1931, the clasp "MAHENGE" was established for award to the participants of the 1917 campaign beginning in Tanganyika in German East Africa and resulting in the capture of the city of Mahenge. The medal was produced in two different variants, type 1 bore the years 1914–1916, type 2 bore the years 1914–1917 on the reverse.