Zenit, January 15, 1999 - Daily Dispatch - The World Seen From Rome
Disconcerting Revelations by Vatican Agency 'Fides'
BRAZZAVILLE, JAN 15 (ZENIT).- According to sources of the Vatican agency 'Fides,' over the last few days, 200 Cuban soldiers have arrived in Congo-Brazzaville to support president Sassou Nguesso. They will aid government troops, already being helped by the countries of Chad and Angola, in their offensive to reestablish order in Pool, the southern region where the general headquarters of the rebels are. The rebels, or "Ninjas," support Bernard Kolelas, former mayor of Brazzaville, who has sought asylum in the United States.
The capital is divided in two: thousands of persons who have found refuge in the villages south of Brazzaville in the region of Pool, are trying to enter the capital; they are suffering from illness, epidemics and hunger. Those who have been successful in reaching the northern zone of the capital testify that Kolelas' guerrillas use violence to stop anyone trying to flee south: "We must all die together," the "Ninjas" declare.
Government sources of the Ministry of Health state that more than 10,000 persons have crossed the border and sought refuge in Kinshasa, in ten refugee camps located in the north of the capital which at present shelter 20,000 persons. Many refugees are hiding in the forest and are without food or medicines. The Ministry of the Interior, security troops of president Sassou Nguesso and local governments gather the corpses left behind in confrontations over the past few weeks.
Those who flee north carry only what is indispensable. They must go through the government control post which is near the French Cultural Center. Women and children are allowed to pass; the men must wait. Some are stripped of their belongings; others are allowed to cross after paying 200 French francs. The majority of refugees go to Catholic parishes in the north; others are reunited with their families. In the meantime, their empty homes are stripped of everything. "Brazzaville is a lawless city; impunity and pillage reign supreme," the 'Fides' sources confirm.
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