Zaire Accepts U.N. Cease-Fire
The government, reeling from a series of battlefield losses, accepted a U.N. cease-fire on Wednesday, while rebels closed in on a strategic river port that would give them control of the eastern third of Zaire.
The rebels, on the verge of capturing the provincial capital of Kisangani after weeks of fighting, may not be ready to put down their arms right away. “First we talk, then maybe a cease-fire,” said rebel spokesman Kazadi Nyembwe.
Refugees fleeing the rebel advance reported that scores of people were slain when rebels took over a huge refugee camp in Tingi-Tingi over the weekend. One man said at least 100 refugees died.
Since September, rebels wanting to overthrow the government of President Mobutu Sese Seko have captured a 900-mile swath of territory in eastern Zaire. Mobutu’s 31-year dictatorship has left resource-rich Zaire, Africa’s third-largest country, desperately poor.