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France starts troop pullout from warring Congo

June 16, 1997
Web posted at: 10:51 a.m. EDT (1451 GMT)

Latest developments:

BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo (CNN) -- French forces here began their withdrawal on Monday after evacuating more than 5,000 citizens from other countries who were caught in a bloody political and ethnic dispute in its former colony.

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"The two sides are believed to be getting into position for a battle for the airport, now controlled by French troops."

News of France's plans to leave was followed by some of the fiercest fighting in days between troops from President Pascal Lissouba's army and Cobra militiamen led by his rival, Gen. Denis Sassou-Nguesso.

The two sides are believed to be getting into position for a battle for the airport, now controlled by French troops.

Mortar and automatic rifle fire were heard all night and into Monday morning.

Lissouba had appealed to France to leave its 1,200 troops in the capital city of Brazzaville as a buffer.

A French army spokesman said the pullout, amid an ongoing civil war, came with "sadness" but that the military mission will end as planned. It was expected to take a week for the French soldiers to withdraw on flights taking them to Chad and Gabon.

Paris has said it will continue to support peacemaking efforts in the Republic of Congo.

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Rivals battle for control of airport

Sporadic firing of mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and machineguns could be heard around the airport through the night and into the morning. A truce declared by the two rival sides last Wednesday collapsed by the weekend.

U.N. envoy Mohamed Sahnoun said he was speaking with French officials about the possibility of leaving some troops to keep the airport secure.

After flying out more than 230 people on Sunday, France had declared its mission over, but another 30 people then arrived at the French Embassy asking to be evacuated. Officials said they would be evacuated on Monday, and that other flights could follow during the week.

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Peace talks sought

Representatives of Lissouba and Sassou-Nguesso opened talks in Libreville, Gabon, on Monday to try to arrange a peace summit between the two leaders, according to radio reports from Gabon.

The presidents of Gabon, the Central African Republic and Chad and diplomats from the United Nations, the European Union and France were observing the talks.

The death toll from the fighting could run into hundreds, or even thousands, according to some sources.

Fighting erupted June 5 when the army surrounded Sassou-Nguesso's home in a crackdown on private militias and unauthorized arms prior to a presidential election scheduled for July 27.

Sassou-Nguesso, who ran the country as a dictator for a decade before Lissouba won an election, claimed the president sparked the clashes to have an excuse to delay the vote and keep power. He is running against Lissouba in this election.

Correspondent Catherine Bond and Reuters contributed to this report.

 
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