Word: mobutu
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KINSHASA, Zaire: As Mobutu Sese Seko continued what many believe could be a permanent absence from Zaire, the battle for Kinshasa began in earnest. After taking three-quarters of Zaire with little or no resistance from demoralized government troops, Laurent Kabila's rebel forces are now locked in an unexpectedly bloody battle in Kenge, 120 miles east of the capital. Reportedly 300 people, including 100 civilians, have already been killed. Kinshasa's defense has reportedly been joined by Rwandan and Angolan mercenaries propping up Mobutu's tattered forces. Rebels also said French mercenaries were holding down Kinshasa's airport. Kabila...
KINSHASA, Zaire: Mobutu Sese Seko's abrupt announcement that he will leave Kinshasa for a Wednesday meeting in Gabon with friend and longtime supporter President Omar Bongo has many wondering if Zaire's ruler of 32 years will ever return. Mobutu aides say he will come home Friday, but with Laurent Kabila reportedly less than 100 miles from Kinshasa, many are speculating that Mobutu will leave Gabon for exile on the French Riviera. One possible indication that Mobutu is ready to relinquish Zaire: The itinerary of U.S. envoy Bill Richardson. After a day of talks with Mobutu representatives, Richardson...
LUBUMBASHI, Zaire: Now that Zaire's summit-on-the-sea has ended in an apparent stalemate, Laurent Kabila is back to his preferred form of diplomacy: the ultimatum. From his headquarters in Lubumbashi, Kabila has given Mobutu Sese Seko eight days to yield to the rebel alliance or "be chased from the power." Fiercely denying a U.N. envoy's statement that he had agreed to a cease-fire with the ailing Mobutu, the rebel leader is giving his troops quick marching orders toward the capital. As he attempts to get Mobutu to resign before the soldiers arrive, Bill Richardson began...
...will be an important test of his diplomatic skills," says TIME's Douglas Waller, "because it's a much more complicated situation than the hostage negotiations Richardson has pulled off in the past. Kabila has proved himself quite obstreperous." More difficult, Waller notes, will be bringing Kabila and president Mobutu, with whom he will meet Tuesday, to a negotiated peace. "Kabila has nothing to gain from peace," says Waller, "and everything to lose. Only the jungle can keep him from Kinshasa...
...excesses of Mobutu's corruption might be comical were it not for the tragic consequences his despotism has wreaked upon his countrymen. While Mobutu lounged in his Belgian castle, a Peace Corps survey in 1980 revealed that in a nation that owns one-quarter of the world's diamonds, malnutrition was killing more than one-third of the Zairian population. The U.S. was a key player among the Western nations that helped line Mobutu's coffers. The current overtures of China to the Western marketplace confront the global community with a similar challenge. Let's hope that Washington does...