The Rwandan Genocide was a mass slaughter of Tutsi people by members of the Hutu majority government.

It occurred over a period of about 100 days, from April to July 1994.

The historical context included long-standing ethnic tensions between the Hutu and Tutsi groups, which were exacerbated by Belgian colonial rule.

The immediate trigger was the assassination of Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana, a Hutu, when his plane was shot down.

Hutu extremist leaders immediately launched a well-organized campaign of genocide against the Tutsi minority.

The primary instruments of the genocide were the Rwandan army and extremist Hutu militias known as the 'Interahamwe.'

Radio stations were used to broadcast hate propaganda and incite ordinary Hutu civilians to kill their Tutsi neighbors.

An estimated 800,000 people, mostly Tutsis and moderate Hutus, were murdered, often with simple weapons like machetes.

The international community and the United Nations failed to intervene effectively to stop the genocide.

The genocide was ended when the Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) defeated the Hutu government's forces.