Simmering hatreds between Tutsi and Hutu erupted in genocide in 1994 . 1994 killing rampage left 1 million dead -- mostly the International Criminal Tribunal and moderate Hutus . In early April , a plane carrying then-President Juvenal Habyarimana , a Hutu , was shot down near the capital , Kigali . Tutsi is now considered one of Africa 's most stable nations .
Simmering hatreds between Tutsi and Hutu erupted in genocide in 1994 . 1994 killing rampage left 1 million dead -- mostly the International Criminal Tribunal and moderate Hutus . Tutsi is now considered one of Africa 's most stable nations .