Some 800,000 people were killed in
Rwanda's genocide in just 100 days
Rwanda:
How the genocide happened
Between April and June 1994, an estimated 800,000 Rwandans were killed in the space of 100 days.

Most of the dead were Tutsis - and most of those who perpetrated the violence were Hutus.
Even for a country with such a turbulent history as Rwanda, the scale and speed of the slaughter left its people reeling.
The genocide was sparked by the death of the Rwandan President
Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, when his plane was shot down above Kigali
airport on 6 April 1994.
A French judge has blamed current Rwandan President, Paul Kagame -
at the time the leader of a Tutsi rebel group - and some of his close
associates for carrying out the rocket attack.
Mr Kagame vehemently denies this and says it was the work of Hutu
extremists, in order to provide a pretext to carry out their well-laid
plans to exterminate the Tutsi community.
Whoever was responsible, within hours a campaign of violence
spread from the capital throughout the country, and did not subside
until three months later.
But the death of the president was by no means the only cause of Africa's largest genocide in modern times.
History of violence
Ethnic tension in Rwanda is nothing new. There have been always
been disagreements between the majority Hutus and minority Tutsis, but
the animosity between them has grown substantially since the colonial
period.
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1994: RWANDA'S GENOCIDE
6 April: President Habyarimana killed in plane explosion
April - July: Some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus killed
July: Tutsi-led rebel movement RPF captures the capital Kigali
July:
Two million Hutus flee to Zaire, now DR Congo
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The two ethnic groups are actually very similar - they speak the same
language, inhabit the same areas and follow the same traditions.
However, Tutsis are often taller and thinner than Hutus, with some saying their origins lie in Ethiopia.
During the genocide, the bodies of Tutsis were thrown into
rivers, with their killers saying they were being sent back to Ethiopia.
When the Belgian colonists arrived in 1916, they produced identity cards classifying people according to their ethnicity.
The Belgians considered the Tutsis to be superior to the Hutus.
Not surprisingly, the Tutsis welcomed this idea, and for the next 20
years they enjoyed better jobs and educational opportunities than their
neighbours.
Resentment among the Hutus gradually built up, culminating in a
series of riots in 1959. More than 20,000 Tutsis were killed, and many
more fled to the neighbouring countries of Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda.
When Belgium relinquished power and granted Rwanda independence
in 1962, the Hutus took their place. Over subsequent decades, the Tutsis
were portrayed as the scapegoats for every crisis.
Building up to genocide
This was still the case in the years before the genocide. The
economic situation worsened and the incumbent president, Juvenal
Habyarimana, began losing popularity.
President Kagame (l) and his officials have denied claims they shot down the president's plane
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At the same time, Tutsi refugees in Uganda - supported by some moderate
Hutus - were forming the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), led by Mr
Kagame. Their aim was to overthrow Habyarimana and secure their right to
return to their homeland.
Habyarimana chose to exploit this threat as a way to bring dissident
Hutus back to his side, and Tutsis inside Rwanda were accused of being
RPF collaborators.
In August 1993, after several attacks and months of negotiation, a
peace accord was signed between Habyarimana and the RPF, but it did
little to stop the continued unrest.
When Habyarimana's plane was shot down at the beginning of April 1994, it was the final nail in the coffin.
Exactly who killed the president - and with him the president of
Burundi and many chief members of staff - has not been established.
Whoever was behind the killing its effect was both instantaneous and catastrophic.
Mass murder
In Kigali, the presidential guard immediately initiated a
campaign of retribution. Leaders of the political opposition were
murdered, and almost immediately, the slaughter of Tutsis and moderate
Hutus began.
Within hours, recruits were dispatched all over the country to carry out a wave of slaughter.
Some Tutsis managed to escape to refugee camps
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The early organisers included military officials, politicians and businessmen, but soon many others joined in the mayhem.
Encouraged by the presidential guard and radio propaganda, an
unofficial militia group called the Interahamwe (meaning those who
attack together) was mobilised. At its peak, this group was
30,000-strong.
Soldiers and police officers encouraged ordinary citizens to take
part. In some cases, Hutu civilians were forced to murder their Tutsi
neighbours by military personnel.
Participants were often given incentives, such as money or food,
and some were even told they could appropriate the land of the Tutsis
they killed.
On the ground at least, the Rwandans were largely left alone by
the international community. UN troops withdrew after the murder of 10
soldiers.
The day after Habyarimana's death, the RPF renewed their assault
on government forces, and numerous attempts by the UN to negotiate a
ceasefire came to nothing.
Aftermath
Finally, in July, the RPF captured Kigali. The government collapsed and the RPF declared a ceasefire.
As soon as it became apparent that the RPF was victorious, an
estimated two million Hutus fled to Zaire (now the Democratic Republic
of Congo).
These refugees include many who have since been implicated in the massacres.
At first, a multi-ethnic government was set up, with a Hutu, Pasteur Bizimungu as president and Mr Kagame as his deputy.
But the pair later fell out and Bizimungu was jailed on charges of inciting ethnic violence, while Mr Kagame became president.
Although the killing in Rwanda was over, the presence of Hutu
militias in DR Congo has led to years of conflict there, causing up to
five million deaths.
Rwanda's now Tutsi-led government has twice invaded its much larger neighbour, saying it wants to wipe out the Hutu forces.
And a Congolese Tutsi rebel group remains active, refusing to lay
down arms, saying otherwise its community would be at risk of genocide.
The world's largest peacekeeping force has been unable to end the fighting.