ALLEGATIONS that thousands of Ugandan and Rwandan soldiers infiltrated eastern Zaire have set the stage for a serious escalation of the conflict in the rebel held area.
Officials in both Kampala and Kigali denied the allegations yesterday, as did the Zairean rebels, although western military observers in Kinshasa described the foreign troops presence as an open secret.
The government in Kinshasa, which has vowed to recapture two eastern provinces from mainly Tutsi rebels, had claimed that Ugandan forces were in eastern Zaire to aid the rebels, while the Belgian government said it had received reports of Rwandan forces in the area.
Kampala dismissed the allegations as "pure rubbish". Mr John Negenda, adviser and chief of public relations to Ugandan President Mr Yoweri Museveni, said: "Rubbish. That's my answer to it. Complete and utter rubbish."
A Zairean army headquarters statement said several thousand Ugandan troops had pushed into eastern Zaire.
Reports reaching Goma, the rebel base in eastern Zaire, spoke of several Ugandan registered trucks full of soldiers crossing into the country at the weekend. The trucks crossed into Zaire near Rutshuru, 60 kilometres north of Goma, just inside Zaire near where Uganda and Rwanda share a border.
The Belgian foreign ministry said if reports that thousands of Rwandan troops were also in the area were confirmed, "it would signify a violation of Zaire's territorial integrity and a totally unacceptable situation."
Rwanda too categorically denied charges that its forces had invaded eastern Zaire. The military adviser to Rwandan Vice president and Defence Minister, Mr Paul Kagame, said the charges were "stupid allegations.
"You'd do better to ask Belgium what Belgian mercenaries are doing in Zaire," he added, suggesting that Brussels was trying "to divert your attention" after revelations that some 280 mercenaries led by Belgian military mercenary Mr Christian Taverniers are backing Kinshasa.
Kuwait weighed in yesterday with a denial that it was helping to finance Mr Taverniers.
Kinshasa has repeatedly accused its eastern neighbours, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda of aiding the rebels.
Different western sources in Kinshasa have said there are between 2,000 and 10,000 foreign troops in the area.
The Zairean military command said 3,000 Ugandan troops were in Haul Zaire and 2,000 in South Kivu province, while some 3,000 other fighters were in Haut Zaire reportedly armed with machine guns.
Zaire has also alleged that mercenaries from Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia were helping the rebels.
Informed sources in Kinshasa acknowledge privately that Ugandan and Rwandan troops have been in eastern Zaire since the start of the rebel uprising in South Kivu province three months ago.
