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Zaire rebels: New prime minister changes nothing
U.N. envoy accuses rebels of massacres
April 2, 1997
Web posted at: 11:18 a.m. EST (1618 GMT)Latest developments:
- Rebels resist new prime minister
- U.N. alleges rebel atrocities in east Zaire
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KINSHASA, Zaire (CNN) -- Zairian opposition leaders said Wednesday that President Mobutu Sese Seko has accepted longtime rival Etienne Tshisekedi as his new prime minister. But rebels who control up to a quarter of the country said the development made no difference to their goal of removing Mobutu from power.
A L S O The roots of Zaire's unrest
Prosper Ndume, a member of parliament and spokesman for the opposition coalition, said the formal document naming Tshisekedi as parliament's choice for prime minister was signed by Mobutu on Wednesday morning.
Separately, a U.N. human rights investigator accused rebels -- who began pushing across eastern Zaire late last year -- of massacring Rwandan refugees and urged a speedy investigation.
Roberto Garreton said upon his return to Switzerland from a three-day visit to the Zairian border town of Goma that Tutsi-led rebels had failed to come up with satisfactory answers to allegations of killings, torture and disappearances.
Aid workers meanwhile prepared to repatriate 4,000 Rwandan Hutu refugees after months in the jungles of eastern Zaire and expressed despair for the fate of 80,000 more south of the northeastern city of Kisangani.
Rebels resist new prime minister
The opposition in parliament nominated Tshisekedi as new prime minister Tuesday to steer Zaire through negotiations with Tutsi-dominated rebels.
But it "won't make any difference," said Mwenze Kongolo, justice commissioner in the rebel alliance. "Our purpose is to get rid of Mobutu and we will push until we have got him out."
Kongolo said that Tshisekedi, 64, was probably best-known in the capital Kinshasa and his appointment might have some weight there, "but the rest of the country is waiting for us."
Tshisekedi would succeed prime minister Kengo wa Dondo, who resigned a week ago.
The rebel Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire warned Tshisekedi against taking the job, arguing that anyone under Mobutu can play no part in the rebel-led transitional government that rebel leader Laurent Kabila has called for.
Tshisekedi has twice served as prime minister -- in 1992 and 1993 -- but each time was toppled after clashing with Mobutu.
Tshisekedi, who has huge popular backing in Zaire, has long favored peace talks with Kabila, whose support also has grown.
U.N. alleges rebel atrocities
Garreton's allegation of rebel atrocities contradicted reports from journalists covering the fighting in Zaire over the past few weeks, who have found ordinary people in both rebel and government-held areas expressing strong support for the insurgents.
But the U.N. official said eyewitness accounts of the number of people killed by the rebels ranged from hundreds to 50,000. He demanded a detailed probe by independent experts to be appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Commission in Geneva.
"There were massacres by the rebels. That's for sure ... but it is impossible to give numbers," the Chilean investigator said.
Garreton said Moese Nyarugabo, a senior aide to Kabila, told him that "this is a war and in a war there are killings and disappearances."
Reuters contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Zaire disputes rebel claim of capturing strategic town - March 29, 1997
- Zairian rebels, Mobutu agree to begin talks - March 27, 1997
- Zairian president wants team formed to talk with rebels - March 25, 1997
- Zairian rebels to participate in Africa summit - March 24, 1997
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