Some potential reasons why genocide may occur include:
- Ethnic, national or religious hatred and intolerance towards a targeted group
- Desire to acquire territory or resources occupied by the targeted group
- Scapegoating a group for political or economic problems
- Ideologies that promote racial, ethnic or religious supremacy/purity
- Efforts to eliminate perceived threats to political or social structures/hierarchies
- Psychological factors like projection, paranoia or the desire to exert total control