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U.S. Must Cut Ties to Mobutu

THE WORLD | ZAIRE

March 16, 1997|Helen Watson Winternitz | Helen Watson Winternitz, who has lived and traveled in Africa, is author of "East Along the Equator: A Journey Up the Congo and Into Zaire" (Atlantic Monthly Press)

Advisors of Kabila and Tshisekedi are talking to each other about various arrangements for sharing leadership, on the assumption that Mobutu will depart, one way or another, diplomatically or by force. They also are discussing elections, which ideally would draw in other political factions and recreate faith in the country's officialdom.

These plans may be overly optimistic, given the shattered state of Zaire's economy and infrastructure, the almost inevitable power struggles that accompany a rebellion, the ethnic tensions in the vast country and the coterie of Mobutu loyalists who, having grown rich on power, are not going to give it up easily.

The United States no longer provides the aid that sustained Mobutu's power for decades, but by pursuing a policy that includes the dictator's government, it risks compounding, rather than calming, the current chaos in Zaire. This could further endanger the hordes of ever more pathetic refugees and foment trouble on the country's intricate borders with nine other African nations.

The United States now has a chance--indeed, a responsibility--to make a difference for the better, if its policymakers act speedily to eschew the last of the great Cold War dictators and to help prepare a way for democracy in Central Africa.

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