The Rwandan Genocide in 1994 was primarily caused by long-standing ethnic tensions between the Hutu and Tutsi groups, exacerbated by colonial history and political manipulation. The assassination of President Juvénal Habyarimana, a Hutu, triggered mass violence as extremist Hutu factions blamed Tutsis for the assassination. Over roughly 100 days, an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in a brutal campaign of extermination. The international community's inaction and failures to intervene significantly contributed to the scale of the genocide, highlighting the dire consequences of political power struggles and ethnic division in Rwanda.