Rebels Approaching City Face Resistance

Rebels closing in on the city of Kisangani in eastern Zaire said they were facing strong resistance. “We’re advancing in four columns. We’re moving closer and closer, but we’re not quite there yet,” rebel spokesman Nyembwe Kazadi said by telephone from Tanzania. Kisangani is the last government stronghold in the eastern region. “We’re not strolling into town--the way we have in other places--because this is their last stronghold, they’re putting in everything they have,” Kazadi said. One witness claimed that Serbian mercenaries backing the Zairian army had mined the airport runway. The airport, a major rebel objective, is a 20-minute drive north of the city. The rebels seek to topple President Mobutu Sese Seko. They say his dictatorial rule has left most of the nation impoverished and its infrastructure in shambles.