Rebels Seize Rep. of Congo Capital, Port City

Rebel forces of former dictator Gen. Denis Sassou-Nguesso proclaimed victory in the battle for Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, on Wednesday. They also seized the oil city of Pointe-Noire with the help of Angolan allies, according to witnesses.

“Today the war is over. We control all of the country and all major cities,” Jean-Marie Tassoua, a top commander in Sassou-Nguesso’s Cobra militia, said Wednesday after witnesses, diplomats and military sources reported the fall of Brazzaville.

The conflict began in June when President Pascal Lissouba sent in his troops to disarm Sassou-Nguesso’s militia in advance of presidential elections that were later postponed. Lissouba, who ousted Sassou-Nguesso in 1992 elections, said he acted to ensure peace during the campaign. But Sassou-Nguesso, who ruled the nation for 13 years, accused his successor of trying to spark clashes so he would have an excuse to cancel the vote and prolong his term in power.

On Wednesday, a Reuters correspondent in Pointe-Noire said Cobra militiamen fighting alongside Angolan troops were in full control of the Atlantic port city.

While the Angolan government has never admitted involvement, witnesses consistently have reported the presence of Angolan government troops on Sassou-Nguesso’s side.

Witnesses and relief workers said rebels looted parts of Brazzaville.

Residents also reported some looting in Pointe-Noire.

A senior Republic of Congo army officer said from Kinshasa, capital of neighboring Congo, that Prime Minister Bernard Kolelas and some of his ministers had fled there as Sassou-Nguesso’s forces advanced.

He said Lissouba’s whereabouts remained unknown.

The top Lissouba commander in Pointe-Noire, contacted by Radio France Internationale, conceded defeat, saying that he had ordered his men to surrender.