By Michael Craigg

After five years of massacres, Rwandans are unsure of a united Rwanda. Five years ago, the two main ethnic groups, the Hutu and the Tutsi, clashed against each other, in an effort to dominate the other. Among those dead included the interim Prime Minister, Agathe Uwilingiyimana, three Cabinet members, 17 Jesuit priests, as well as other officials and members of their families.

According to reports at the United Nations, much of the violence was being executed by members of the Presidential Guard of Rwanda's late President, Juvenal Habyarimana. Habyarimana, along with the late President of Burindi (Rwanda's southern neighbor),

Cyprien Ntaryamira, were both killed in a plane crash in April 1994. Major General Paul Kagame, also Rwanda's vice-president, who led some exiled Tutsi soldiers to power in 1994, admitted to some of the accusations being cast at him. These allegations include some reports that his soldiers had killed civilians in their fight against Hutu radicals.

In a New York Times interview, he stated that 'after five years, there is a long way to go'. Kagame said he doesn't believe reconcilement will come quickly for Rwanda. "We can't overcome this complex situation in five years," he said. Unity among Rwandans has been very slow in building, but many citizens are trying to assemble through stories, depicting the horrible events that began in April 1994.

Rwanda gained independence from Belgium in 1962. Since then, constant tension has been sustained between the minority Tutsi ethnic group and the larger Hutu group. Dameon Butler, an international business major at Dutchess Community College, located in Poughkeepsie, New York, said that Rwanda has a troubled history, which gives reason to the massacres that have occurred. "Belgium really messed up Rwanda," Butler said. "I believe that restricting the land between the two cultures is what caused all of this mess." According to the New York Times, an official version of what occurred has been revealed by various top Hutu and Tutsi officials.

In 1959, the Hutu formed a revolution against the Tusti monarchy, killing thousands of Tutsi. Malignant Hutu leaders, worried about losing power to Tutsi guerrillas, headed by Kagame, drove thousands of Hutu to murder their neighbors. According to the Times, the Rwandan government is now trying to direct punishment on those who organized the massacres, claiming that many ordinary Hutu were trapped in a graduated panic state.

These massacres have occurred numerous times throughout Rwandan history. In 1963, 20,000 people were killed. In 1972, almost 100,000 people were murdered, due to the ethnic violence in Burundi. In spite of recent efforts to bring peace to Rwanda, hope is still in the spirits of the people. Many Americans share this optimism, as Rwanda tries to close this gruesome chapter in its history. "I honestly hope that things will get better," Butler said. "Things fall apart and change comes slowly."