The assassination of Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian President Cyprien Ntaryamira on April 6, 1994, drastically changed the trajectory of Rwanda's history. Their plane was brought down by surface-to-air missiles as it approached Kigali International Airport. Habyarimana's rule had been characterized by deep ethnic tensions between the Hutu majority and Tutsi minority, which had been inflamed by historical grievances and political power struggles. The plane’s destruction occurred during a fragile peace process aimed at ending the Rwandan Civil War, which had erupted in 1990 between Hutu-led government forces and Tutsi rebel groups, notably the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF).In the immediate aftermath of the assassination, extremist Hutu factions quickly seized the opportunity to incite violence against Tutsis, whom they held responsible for the political upheaval and their leader's death. This led to a well-coordinated, government-backed genocide that lasted approximately 100 days, during which an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed. The brutality of the killings shocked the world and highlighted the global community's failures in preventing genocide. International responses were delayed and inadequate, further complicating the already volatile situation in Rwanda.The event represented a critical juncture in Rwandan history, one that would compel international humanitarian organizations to reassess their approach to genocide prevention and intervention in protected populations. The genocide profoundly transformed Rwandan society, politics, and its international relations, leading to further scrutiny on issues of national sovereignty, intervention rights, and the role of international organizations in conflict zones.