Zaire Rebel Leader Issues Ultimatum on Refugee Camp

Rebels threatened Saturday to attack the largest refugee camp in eastern Zaire within three days unless Rwandans allegedly armed by the Zairian government clear out.

Rebel leader Laurent Kabila said he would give the United Nations and world leaders “two, three days to solve the problems.”

If they fail, “We shall hit this camp badly and kick everybody out without any consideration from the international community. They have to stop those people from having arms,” Kabila said in Kalemie, a port on Lake Tanganyika where he was recruiting fighters.

Meanwhile, about 100 protesters defying a ban on political rallies gathered Saturday in Kinshasa outside the home of Zaire’s main opposition leader, Etienne Tshisekedi, demanding President Mobutu Sese Seko’s resignation.

The rebels’ Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire has captured a 900-mile-long stretch of eastern Zaire in its campaign to oust Mobutu.

There was no immediate comment from the United Nations regarding the threat to attack the camp.

But U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan confirmed Friday what the rebels have said for weeks--that planes are flying arms to former Rwandan soldiers in Tingi-Tingi refugee camp in north central Zaire.