OPPONENTS of President Mobutu Sese Seko closed down the Zairean capital, Kinshasa, yesterday with a stay at home protest, as the rebel leader, Mr Laurent Kabila, entered Zaire's second city in triumph nearly a thousand miles away.
Mr Kabila, who earlier announced the capture of the West Kasai provincial capital, Kananga, swept into the southern mining capital of Lubumbashi to a tumultuous welcome. Church bells rang and jubilant crowds waved branches and chanted his name.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan, urged the rebels, who control nearly half the huge Central African nation, to agree a ceasefire and negotiate a settlement.
"The stakes are high," he said in a statement released in Rome. "If we fail, it will mean misery and stagnation for millions of people in the region."
In Kinshasa, shops, schools, and businesses were closed. Public transport was off the streets as were most private vehicles. The business district was deserted.
Security forces were deployed at potential flashpoints. Witnesses said soldiers fired in the air to disperse a crowd near the home of deposed opposition prime minister, Mr Etienne Tshisekedi, but there were no reports of serious incidents.
"The government here does not in any way respond to public opinion. If it were in Europe it would have already resigned," an opposition spokesman, Mr Laurent Mbayo, said.
The opposition plans more protest action today, urging students to skip school and college again.
Witnesses reported a heavy troop presence in Kinshasa's teeming shanty towns, the power base of Mr Tshisekedi, a veteran Mobutu foe. Mr Mobutu, who seized power in 1965, faces a twin threat from rebels moving west on many fronts and from a Kinshasa based political opposition.
Mr Kabila's rebels have resumed their whirlwind offensive after a three day pause to allow Mr Mobutu to show a willingness to quit with dignity. Mr Mobutu said he would not accept ultimatums, but left the door open for a meeting with Mr Kabila.
The soldier appointed prime minister by Mr Mobutu to enforce emergency rule, Gen Likulia Bolongo, says street protests are banned and has vowed that security forces will maintain public order.
Kinshasa's military governor, Gen Amela Lokima, appeared on state television on Sunday to urge people to remain calm. He said the army was ready to defend Kinshasa, adding: "The security of our capital is our fundamental duty."
Mr Mobutu's collapsing army has been unable to halt the rebel offensive that began near Zaire's eastern border last October.
The rebels, who took Lubumbashi on Wednesday, appointed a new governor to the surrounding mineral rich Shaba province, and, announced plans to renegotiate mining contracts with foreign firms.