The assassination set in motion the Rwandan genocide , one of the bloodiest events of the late 20th century. Most of the RPF fighters were either refugees or the sons of refugees who had fled ethnic purges by the Hutu government during the Rwandan revolution.
The attempt to overthrow the government failed, though the RPF was able to maintain control of a border region. The war radicalized the internal opposition. Hutu Power portrayed the RPF as an alien force intent on reinstating the Tutsi monarchy and enslaving the Hutus, a prospect which must be resisted at all costs.
This political force led to the collapse of the first Habyarimana government in July , when Prime Minister Dismas Nsengiyaremye criticized the president in writing for delaying a peace agreement. The main opposition parties refused to support Madame Agathe's appointment, each splitting into two factions: one calling for the unwavering defense of Hutu Power and the other, labeled "moderate", that sought a negotiated settlement to the war.
As Prime Minister Uwilingiyimana was unable to form a coalition government, ratification of the Arusha Accords was impossible. The most extreme of the Hutu parties, the CDR, which openly called for ethnic cleansing of the Tutsi, was entirely unrepresented in the Accords. The security situation deteriorated throughout Armed Hutu militias attacked Tutsis throughout the country, while high-ranking adherents of Hutu Power began to consider how the security forces might be turned to genocide.
Meanwhile, Habyarimana was finishing regional travel. He then extended the offer to President of Burundi Cyprien Ntaryamira. Ntaryamira accepted, [ 10 ] preferring Habyarimana's faster Dassault Falcon 50 to his own transport. Several Burundian ministers joined the president on the flight. Shortly before pm local time UTC , the presidential jet circled once around Kigali International Airport before coming in for final approach in clear skies.
