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Document provided by ReliefWeb
Source: Christian Science Monitor
Date: 03 Mar 1997
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World Scrambles as an African Giant Crumbles
Monday March 3, 1997 Edition
Judith Matloff, Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
JOHANNESBURG -- Rebels waging an uprising in eastern Zaire are on the verge of two coveted victories, leaving the crumbling regime of President Mobutu Sese Seko no choice but to negotiate.
Over the weekend, the troops of rebel leader Laurent-Desire Kabila had advanced to just 60 miles outside the strategic town of Kisangani, where the United Nations evacuated all foreign aid workers due to the deteriorating security situation. The mainly Tutsi rebels also claim to have captured Tingi Tingi, causing about 170,000 Rwandan Hutu refugees staying there to flee.
Independent sources confirmed rebels' claim to have captured another vital prize, Kindu, Reuters reported Sunday. Its fall would place them in a strong position to negotiate the end to Mr. Mobutu's dictatorial 32-year reign. Analysts say the fall would be a devastating military and psychological blow for the underpaid and undisciplined Army, which has been unable to claim one victory since the rebellion flared in October when Zairean authorities tried to expel ethnic Tutsis. Kisangani and Kindu have airports and would give the rebels their first foothold on the Zaire river, an important transport artery that flows to the capital, Kinshasa. More importantly, Kindu and Kisangani are the vanguard points of Zaire's now flailing offensive. Mr. Kabila was in South Africa last week with the smile of Cheshire cat, confident that he had backed Zaire's government into such a corner that it would have to take him seriously. "We must assume that peace can be found," he told reporters, expressing the hope that negotiations would begin soon.
But a cease-fire is still elusive, despite a plethora of diplomatic initiatives coming from all directions. Indeed, military analysts believe Kabila will want to capture Kinsangani before beginning negotiations, to enhance his bargaining position.
The UN, the United States, the Organization of African Unity (OAU), South Africa, and Kenya have all been rushing around the past couple of weeks trying to organize African summits and negotiations between the belligerents to prevent the collapse of Zaire, and with it a regional catastrophe.
South Africa, seeking a diplomatic triumph to claim its logical role as the continent's peacemaker, last week hosted Kabila as well as an envoy of Mobutu, Honore Ngbanda. The public line is that these were merely "close proximity talks" - not face-to-face - held under the watchful eyes of South Africans, joint UN and OAU special envoy Mohamed Sahnoun, and US Undersecretary of State for Africa George Moose.
Mobutu, who is ailing in France, is clearly under pressure on all fronts. His government is anxious, however, not to be seen as capitulating. It has sent out conflicting responses regarding peace talks - prompting speculation that Zaire is divided over the prospect of negotiations.
Despite Mr. Ngbanda's presence in South Africa, Zaire continued to insist that it would not enter talks with rebels until all foreign troops left the country. By this it means Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda, allies of Kabila which deny Zaire's claims that they are supporting the uprising.
It is hard to judge the success of the South African mediating efforts, which participants have cloaked in secrecy to prevent leaks that would embarrass the Zairean government. Also on the table is a five-point UN peace plan, which includes a cease-fire and the departure of foreign meddlers and mercenaries.
Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi, jealous of South Africa stealing the diplomatic limelight, has called his own meeting of regional leaders March 18-19. Another initiative includes a summit called by the OAU for Lome, Togo on March 26. The summit will address the possible deployment of an African buffer force, a proposal that has come up repeatedly but so far failed to materialize.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said on Friday he would try to persuade the international community to send a multinational force to the troubled region. Diplomats say that some consensus is emerging among African and Western nations about the need for such a force. But such an idea is riddled with complexities, such as guaranteeing the neutrality of participants and deciding which side of a conflict to back.
(c) Copyright 1997 The Christian Science Publishing Society. All rights reserved.
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Document provided by ReliefWeb
Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Date: 03 Mar 1997
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Rebel Leader Has His Forces Ready to Attack Key City
Monday 3 March, 1997 (5:43am AEDT)
Zairean rebel leader, Laurent-Desire Kabila, says his forces are poised to attack the key regional city of Kisangani after taking two towns in weekend fighting.
Africa correspondent Ben Wilson reports aid agencies say more than one-hundred-thousand Rwandan refugees fled the Tingi Tingi camp after rebels overran the area:
As yet there's no independent confirmation that Laurent Kabila's forces have taken the Tingi Tingi camp or the town of Kindu, a key military base and transportation hub. However, in recent weeks such claims by the rebels have usually been followed within days by government confirmation. Reports from the region say Mr Kabila has now invited the United Nations to repatriate the refugees from Tingi Tingi back to Rwanda. However, aid sources say the refugees have again dispersed into the jungle in the face of the rebel advance. The rebels next objective is the regional capital, Kisangani, the largest city in eastern Zaire, its fall would represent a catastrophic blow to the Zairean Government...which has used the city as a base for its so-far unsuccessful counter offensive against the rebels.
(c) 1996 Australian Broadcasting Corporation Mon Mar 3 06:00:03 1997 ( AEDT )
AEDT = Australian Eastern Daylight Time which is 11 hours ahead of UTC (Greenwich Mean Time)
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UNHCRの緒方さんのケニヤでのザイールの現状報告。 「せっかくザイールのルワンダ難民を本国に帰す準備をしていたのに、それが出来なくなった。 我々は今難民を助けようにも、危険でそれが出来ないで困っている」ということです。
彼女自身は反乱軍のthe Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaireのキャンプへの攻撃については触れていません。記者が解説しているだけです。一体彼らに気兼ねして名指しで批判できない理由とは何なのでしょうか？ 彼女とてthe Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaireによるフツ人虐殺の噂ぐらいは届いているでしょうに。
Africa Online Incからの転載ですので、他への転載は遠慮下さい。
Copyright 1997 Features Africa Network
All rights reserved.
Distributed by Africa Online Inc.
FEATURES AFRICA NETWORK
NEWS BULLETIN, MARCH 3, 1997
EASTERN AFRICA NEWS
UNHCR URGES UNIMPEDED ACCESS TO REFUGEES IN ZAIRE
The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR, has appealed to parties involved in the eastern Zairean crisis to allow unimpeded humanitarian access to refugees caught in the fighting.
"We would like to continue to deliver much needed relief to the refugees. Unfortunately, we will not be able to do so unless humanitarian workers are allowed to operate in safety," said UNHCR chief Sadako Ogata in a statement received in Nairobi by Features Africa.
She was referring to forced evacuation of 57 aid workers of UNHCR, other UN agencies and non-governmental organizations from Kisangani, a logistics hub of humanitarian operations for several hundred thousand refugees in eastern and central Zaire.
The evacuation followed reports of the capture of the key garrison town of Kindu in central Zaire by the rebels of the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire led by Laurent Kabila.
"I am distressed that our workers have to leave at a time when we have just completed arrangements to fly out of the encampments of the first group of orphaned refugees in Zaire to Rwanda," she said.
Since the breakout of the rebel war last October in eastern Zaire which borders Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi, more than half of the 1.2 million Rwandan refugees have returned home with the help of UNHCR and other international aid agencies operating in the region. But their aid operations have been suspended time and again.
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