Reuters Africa Highlights / [Dec 6]

[Reuters]

BENI, Zaire - Zairean rebels said they were preparing to
attack a key town in eastern Zaire and an aid agency reported
more than 100,000 Rwandan refugees trekking northwest in a huge
column. ``We are moving toward Bunia tomorrow (Saturday),'' said
a Zairean rebel officer in the town of Beni, 140 km (85 km)
southwest of Bunia. ``The Mai-Mai are moving up now to Bunia.''
BWERA, Uganda - Thousands of people fled villages and
hamlets in Uganda's Ruwenzori mountains as Ugandan troops fought
rebels pushed out of bases in eastern Zaire. Ugandan soldiers
said the rebels were looting, raping women and torching fields
in the Ruwenzori mountains, the famed ``Mountains of the Moon''
straddling southwestern Uganda's border with Zaire.
NAIROBI - The Canadian general in charge of a multinational
force for eastern Zaire said he was going back to Zaire for more
information about the plight of about 165,000 Rwandan refugees
adrift in the countryside.
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso - A Franco-African summit
reaffirmed the need for a multinational force to help get food
to war refugees in Zaire, opposing mere food airdrops.
DAR ES SALAAM - Tanzania banned economic activity in camps
for Rwandan Hutu refugees and restricted their movements a day
after telling more than half a million refugees to go back to
Rwanda by the end of the month.
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BANGUI - A former cabinet minister in Central African
Republic and his son were abducted from their home and murdered
in growing ethnic violence in the capital Bangui, a government
minister said.
ABIDJAN - The United Nations evacuated its staff in the
Central African Republic because of mounting violence in a
two-week-old army mutiny in the capital, a U.N. official said.
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso - French President Jacques Chirac
said French troops in Central African Republic would not go
beyond protecting foreigners and preventing major violence in
the current army mutiny.
PARIS - About two dozen nationals of the Central African
Republic occupied their country's Paris embassy, demanding the
resignation of their country's president following an army
rebellion.
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NEW DELHI - South Africa said it would back former Tanzanian
foreign minister and secretary general of the Organization of
African Unity (OAU) Salim A. Salim as candidate for the U.N.
secretary-general's post.
DAKAR - Senegal's President Abdou Diouf said he was
proposing his foreign minister Moustapha Niasse for the post of
United Nations secretary general.
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ALBERTON, South Africa - Taiwanese Foreign Minister John
Chang said he would not urge Taiwanese to withdraw their
investments from South Africa following its decision to cut
diplomatic ties and recognize China.
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OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso - French President Jacques Chirac
reassured France's former African colonies that their CFA
currency, linked to the French franc, would not suffer from the
creation of the single European currency in 1999.