Word: kolwezi
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...last to have won a round in a murky conflict that some Africans have dubbed "the Termite War." Neither side seemed able to do any more than nibble away at the other. But last week government troops not only halted the advance of the ragtag invasion army toward Kolwezi, the center of Zaïre's copper-mining district, but also took the initiative for the first time. By week's end, government spokesmen were claiming that "a general offensive against all enemy positions" was under way with the primary purpose of recapturing the towns of Mutshatsha...
During the week at least 1,000 Moroccan soldiers joined the 4,000 Zairian troops at Kolwezi, center of Shaba's copper-mining district. Implying that the tide of battle was turning, Kinshasa claimed that 30-40 rebel soldiers had been killed by week's end. But nobody could be quite sure since the government had taken the precaution of ordering all foreign journalists out of the fighting area. Stated reason: some of the previous news reports had contained "military secrets" and thus were "tantamount to espionage...
...spokesmen announced that King Hassan II of Morocco had agreed to rush about 1,500 troops to support government forces in the mineral-rich southeastern district. The Moroccans-with Washington's apparent blessing -were expected to join the effort to defend Kolwezi (pop. 150,000), the center of the copper-mining industry that provides Zaïre with more than 60% of its foreign exchange. Zaïre also disclosed that another African country, possibly Egypt, would also send troops. Uganda and the Sudan have promised supplies, France promised air support and China began airlifting 30 tons...
Mobutu, some observers speculate that the Katangese invaders may be tempted to make a fast push for Kolwezi...
...week's end the Angola-backed rebels were less than 50 miles from Kolwezi, where the Belgian-run Gecamines Co. extracts more than half of Zaïre's vital copper. U.S. construction workers on a $500 million power line were airlifted out.* Should Kolwezi fall, Mobutu's government would be hard pressed to survive. French officials are said to have begun talks with anti-Mobutu rebels in Paris-presumably in an effort to reach a compromise...