New Leader Seizes Foreigners, Arms

The man who took over this Central African nation by force moved quickly to secure power, detaining more than a dozen foreigners suspected of aiding his wartime enemy and seizing weapons at highway roadblocks. As the first planeloads of aid arrived in the capital, fighters from Gen. Denis Sassou-Nguesso’s Cobra militia set up blockades on major routes into Brazzaville and searched vehicles for arms and ammunition. The clampdown came six days after the militia took control of the capital from President Pascal Lissouba. Sassou-Nguesso’s aides said he would formally announce his government Thursday and attend an installation ceremony Saturday.