ROQUEBRUNE-CAP MARTIN - The ailing President of Zaire, Mr Mobutu Sese Seko, called yesterday for a ceasefire in his troubled country and the creation of a national council to unite different factions.
"As I prepare to return to my country and rejoin my people, I invite all Zaireans to make a national restart," Mr Mobutu said from his villa in the south of France, where he has been receiving treatment for prostate cancer. He said he plans to return home tomorrow.
France, Mr Mobutu's staunchest international hacker, meanwhile announced it had sent aircraft and 100 troops to neighbouring Congo and Gabon in case it needed to protect or evacuate its nationals from the vast African country.