THE Zairean army followed up a rare victory over rebel troops, sending fresh soldiers yesterday to bolster the defence of the diamond rich centre of the country.
The Kinshasa authorities dispatched the reinforcements to Mbuji Mayi and Lubao, some 200 km south of Kindu, which fell to the rebels a week ago.
The move follows reports that government troops pushed back a rebel advance on Kisangani, killing 35 rebels in a clash 80 km outside the town. The fighting occurred on Tuesday afternoon on the road to Bafwsende, to the north east, which has been the scene of frequent clashes between rebel and government forces for the past month with neither side able to establish final control.
The Defence Ministry said that "the enemy is no longer trying to break through our lines on the north eastern front because they fear something".
"Contrary to what the rebels are saying, there is no fighting within 10 km of Kisangani. The nearest they are is 40 km," the ministry said. "We are in control of the situation."
The statement followed a rallying cry from the Prime Minister, Mr Kengo Wa Dondo, earlier yesterday, when he vowed to defend the city, capital of Haute Zaire province and the hub of the Zairean army's so far unsuccessful attempts to crush the five month old rebellion.
"We will defend Kisangani, which has become the central point of the war," Mr Kengo told a press conference in Kinshasa.
The military deadlock has led observers to believe that the rebels are content to slowly squeeze the estimated 500,000 population of the city until they revolt against the authorities, and pave the way for an unchallenged rebel advance.
The food situation is deteriorating rapidly. Despite Tuesday's setback, rebels still control the three main routes leading to the town, effectively cutting off its prize from sources of fresh produce, including meat, vegetables and fish, which with rice and cassava provides one of the staples of the local diet.
Mr Kengo also said that a decision by the UN Security Council not to create a multinational force for Zaire was "regrettable," blaming Britain and the United States for the move. "The international community, under pressure from the United States and Britain, gives the impression that it is not interested in the tragedy in the Great Lakes," he said, adding that it was "perhaps because it involves Africans".
Mr Kengo also greeted "with satisfaction" President Jacques Chirac's call for an end to the fighting in Zaire, the dispatch of a multinational force to the region and an increase in aid.
Meanwhile yesterday Zairean protesters burned the American flag in Kinshasa and demanded the expulsion of the US ambassador, Mr Daniel Simpson, and his staff.
Chanting "That's enough, Clinton" and "Americans, get out" about 200 people demonstrated at the US embassy. Zairean soldiers moved in to break up the demonstration when the flag was burned.
. The Red Cross said yesterday it would set up a new site near Ubundu to house 100,000 Rwandan refugees who have fled camps in eastern Zaire before advancing rebel forces.