Citation
BRUSSELS, April 10 (Reuter) - Belgian paratroops flew into the
violence-torn Rwandan capital of Kigali on Sunday as part of an
international force to evacuate Belgians and other expatriates.
Belgian armed forces chief-of-staff Lieutenant-General Jose Charlier
said eight C-130 transport planes carrying 250 troops landed at Kigali
airport as part of Operation Silver Back, a reference to Rwanda's
famous mountain gorillas.
The second phase of the operation is complete, now the third phase is
starting to evacuate people,
Charlier said.
Tens of thousands of people have died in Rwanda in an orgy of fighting
and ethnic violence since the Rwandan president was assassinated last
week. About 1,500 Belgian citizens live there, forming the biggest
single contingent of Westerners.
Defence Minister Leo Delcroix said the paratroops would take part only
in the evacuation plan. I hope it will be finished within a few days,
but I do not know exactly how long it will take,
he said.
He said there would be no problem evacuating Belgians from Kigali but
the operation could be more difficult in the rest of the country.
Charlier told a news conference that evacuations started on Sunday
morning, led by French troops and helped by Belgian troops already in
Kigali as part of a U.N. force.
He said it had been agreed that French troops would fly into Rwanda
first because they had men on the spot in Africa and good relations
with the Rwandan army.
Rwandan authorities agreed to open the airport to the Belgian troops on
Sunday afternoon after all-night negotiations, he said.
Aircraft with troops and heavy equipment left Brussels on Saturday but
were forced to go to Djibouti and Kenya because Rwandan government
forces at Kigali airport blocked the runway and refused to let them
land.
The Belgians are unpopular among the majority Hutu tribe which believes
they support the rebels. There were also rumours in Kigali that Belgium
was involved in the death of President Juvenal Habyarimana.
Foreign Minister Willy Claes, speaking earlier on Belgian television,
denied both charges.
Claes said Belgium, the former colonial power, had no intention of
intervening with force and wanted only to mount a rescue operation with
France and the United States, which has sent more than 300 Marines to
neighbouring Burundi.
This is a short-term humanitarian mission,
he said. Those who wish
to stay can do so but it is at their own risk.
The first Belgian plane returning with expatriates from Rwanda was due
to arrive in Brussels at 0200 GMT Monday, Belgian national airline
Sabena said.
The bodies of 10 Belgian soldiers killed last Thursday while trying in
vain to protect slain Rwandan Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingyimana were
flown to the Kenyan capital Nairobi. Four wounded soldiers were also on
the plane, witnesses said.
The foreign affairs ministry said three Belgian civilians were also
killed in Kigali.
(c) Reuters Limited 1994
