The document provides background information on the Rwandan genocide that began in 1994. It discusses: 1) The two main ethnic groups in Rwanda, the Hutu and Tutsi, and how the Belgians favored the Tutsi minority during colonial rule, fueling tensions between the groups. 2) How control shifted to the Hutu majority after Rwanda gained independence in 1962, and animosity continued between Hutu and Tutsi for decades. 3) How the death of the Hutu president in 1994, when his plane was shot down, is seen as sparking the Rwandan genocide where Hutu extremists began killing Tutsi civilians and moderate Hutus.