April 7th, 2014 marks the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the Rwandan Genocide.
Between April and July, 1994 between 500,000 and one million Tutsi people were massacred by forces aligned with the Hutu-led Rwandan government. Though the military and police forces were primarily responsible for the systematic identification, persecution and murder of Tutsi, they also pressured Hutu civilians to kill, rape and rob their neighbors. These attacks triggered a refugee crisis in neighboring countries. The genocide ceased when anti-government rebels seized control of the capital in July.
During and after these events the UN and western powers were criticized for their failure to intervene.