ZAIRE: UVIRA: YOUNG SOLDIERS JOIN REBEL ARMY OF LAURENT KABILA

Описание: (13 Feb 1997) Natural Sound

Nearly a thousand new recruits have joined the rebel army of Laurent Kabila in eastern Zaire on Wednesday - some are as young as 14.

They held a parade in Uvira where they pledged their lives to the rebels in battle against the forces of Zairian President Mobutu Sese Seko.

Kabila's Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire has seized a 1,400 kilometre long (nearly 900 miles) swath along Zaire's eastern border since the revolt began in October.

A thousand strong - fresh troops for rebel leader Laurent Kabila.

These new recruits gathered in this dusty churchyard for a parade in front of their leader.

Smartly dressed in U-S style uniforms clutching their AK-47 rifles with pride, the soldiers are just some of the hundreds of young men Kabila has recruited from the towns of Goma, Bukavu and Uvira as he cuts a swathe through eastern Zaire.

The recruits, aged 14 to 30, pledged their lives to the rebels in battle against the forces of Zairian President Mobutu Sese Seko.

Kabila exhorted them to "make life impossible for Mobutu" so they could "be rid of him once and for all."

He told them he would take the war to the capital Kinshasa and to Gbadolite, Mobutu's home village near the Central African Republic border where he is ailing with prostate cancer.

In celebration of finishing their training and becoming real soldiers, the young men did shuffling dances - with AK-47 assault rifles as partners - and sang for the unity of Zaire, and of their love of battle.

After the speeches, Kabila said he was willing to negotiate with leaders in Kinshasa - as international community has demanded - but not with Mobutu and accused him of hiring mercenaries to fight for him.

SOUNDBITE: ( English)
"We want to negotiate. We are telling all the people that we want to negotiate with these people, but they are refusing because they have had assistance from mercenaries and from other countries."
SUPERCAPTION: Laurent Kabila, Rebel leader

The young men are passionate in loathing of Mobutu - and are keen to see Kabila become the new president.

SOUNDBITE: ( French)
"We are ready to fight the enemy of Zaire and to chase him away. And Mobutu, he did a lot. He ate a lot from us. He destroyed Zaire without development. We want to see a new President to help the population develop."
SUPERCAPTION: Kibete Bete, Recruit

Kabila told the recruits he expected the best of them and that they weren't to mimic the antics of Mobutu's Zairian army, such as using their guns to loot civilians.

Kabila says his forces are gaining ground in all directions- - he said they were within 50 kilometres (30 miles) of the north-western town of Isiro after heavy fighting.

What started as a revolution by ethnic Tutsis, who had lived in eastern Zaire for decades but were threatened with expulsions, has been expanded to embrace an array of Zairian ethnic groups.

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