Zaire Cautions Belgium Against Sending Troops

Zaire sent a clear warning Sunday that it would prevent Belgian troops from landing to evacuate foreigners from riot-torn Kinshasa, but the French government said later that France had safely evacuated 220 expatriates.

The evacuees were ferried across the Congo River to the Congolese capital of Brazzaville on Sunday under escort by French paratroopers, a French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman in Paris said.

At least 65 people, including France’s ambassador, died in Kinshasa in three days of violence that began Thursday with riots by soldiers over pay and escalated into a struggle between President Mobutu Sese Seko and forces backing Zaire’s democracy movement.

Belgium said it was prepared to send troops into Zaire if there were any problems with evacuating its citizens from the capital.

But Belgian Defense Minister Leo Delcroix said in Brussels that an operation by French troops to evacuate some 330 Belgian nationals from Kinshasa was proceeding as planned and that he saw no need to send in Belgian paratroopers.

A Belgian Foreign Ministry spokesman said its embassy in Kinshasa was broadcasting a radio appeal saying that all Belgians should leave the city as soon as possible.

Mobutu has refused entry to more than 300 Belgian paratroopers sent to evacuate Belgian citizens. The paratroops are now waiting in neighboring Congo.