The assassination of Habyarimana was the catalyst for the eruption of the 1994 genocide , in which hundreds of thousands of Tutsis and some moderate Hutus were killed including the prime minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana . The Tutsi RPF conquered Rwanda , and thousands of Hutu were imprisoned pending the establishment of the Gacaca courts . Millions of Hutu fled as refugees , contributing to large refugee camps of Hutu in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo , where there were already refugees from other countries . These were disbanded by an RPF-sponsored invasion in 1996 that replaced the new Congolese president as the result of the First Congo War . A second invasion to replace the new Congolese president initiated the Second Congo War , the deadliest war since World War II and one involving many African nations including Rwanda
1994 genocide
Rwandan genocide
History of Rwanda