In 1990 , the Rwandan Patriotic Front ( RPF ) , a rebel group composed of nearly 500,000 Tutsi refugees , invaded northern Rwanda from their base in Uganda , initiating the Rwandan Civil War . The group condemned the Hutu-dominated government for failing to democratize and confront the problems facing these refugees . Neither side was able to gain a decisive advantage in the war , but by 1992 it had weakened Habyarimana 's authority ; mass demonstrations forced him into a coalition with the domestic opposition and eventually to sign the 1993 Arusha Accords with the RPF . The cease-fire ended on 6 April 1994 when Habyarimana 's plane was shot down near Kigali Airport , killing him . The shooting down of the plane served as the catalyst for the Rwandan genocide , which began within a few hours . Over the course of approximately 100 days , around 800,000 Tutsi and politically moderate Hutu were killed in well-planned attacks on the orders of the interim government . Many Twa were also killed , despite not being directly targeted
Rwandan genocide
Rwandan genocide
Rwanda