Governments may initiate mass killings and genocide for various reasons, including the desire to assert control and power over a population, eliminate a perceived threat to their authority, or act upon long-standing ethnic or religious tensions. Additionally, governments may target specific groups in order to secure resources or territory, or to uphold discriminatory ideologies. Mass killings and genocide can also serve as a means of consolidating political support or rallying nationalist sentiment within a country. Ultimately, governments may resort to such extreme measures to maintain their grip on power or advance their ideological agenda, often at the expense of innocent lives.
