Ousted President Flees While Rebels Celebrate Victory in Rep. of Congo

Ousted President Pascal Lissouba left his hide-out in the south of the country as rebels consolidated their civil war victory, security sources in Kinshasa said Sunday.

The forces of the Republic of Congo’s new strongman, former military ruler Denis Sassou-Nguesso, said they were continuing to pursue Lissouba’s troops into the bush surrounding the capital, Brazzaville, which fell to the rebels last week.

“I was obliged to go down to the Matoumbou region yesterday to clean up,” Willy Matsanga, a commander of Sassou’s Cobra militia said. He added that about 100 of Lissouba’s fighters had fled to Matoumbou.

Matsanga said 30 of Lissouba’s troops were killed in fighting at Matoumbou on Saturday while the remaining 70 were scattered in the bush. Three of the Cobra militiamen were killed, he said.

The security sources in neighboring Congo, whose account was backed by Western diplomats, said it was unclear where Lissouba had gone from his southern stronghold of Dolisie, where he had been holed up since his forces were routed Wednesday.

But they said he most probably crossed into Angolan territory controlled by the former rebel movement UNITA, whose fighters are believed to have helped Lissouba in a four-month civil war pitting his forces against Sassou’s militia.

The sources, monitoring events from Kinshasa, capital of Congo across the river from Brazzaville, said Lissouba fled Saturday or Sunday.

“Mr. Lissouba is certainly no longer in his home base. Our information is that he left in the last 24 hours,” one source said. “We are not sure where he went although we are told his exit was conducted through UNITA territory.”

Western diplomatic sources in Kinshasa confirmed that the ousted president of the oil-producing former French colony had left.

“He is no longer in [the Republic of] Congo but I cannot tell you where he is,” a Western diplomat said.

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The security sources said Lissouba left just as some Western nations were trying to broker a safe passage deal for him.

They said the deal would have involved Lissouba officially renouncing his claims to the presidency in return for safe passage into exile. The sources said the negotiations had involved Sassou, his Angolan government army allies and Lissouba’s envoys in the small town of Dolisie.

Sassou’s Cobras kept up victory celebrations in Brazzaville bars overnight while others looted the city, including its airport, witnesses said.

Despite a pledge from Sassou’s commanders that looting will be ended, witnesses said his militiamen were still stripping the once beautiful riverside city.

Angolan firepower turned the tide in the war in favor of Sassou, and his militia proclaimed victory in Brazzaville after seizing the presidential palace Tuesday, putting Lissouba to flight.

Cobras backed by Angolan tanks and Russian-built MiG fighter planes moved to take control of Congo’s economic capital Pointe-Noire on Wednesday.