Abstract
- And then, always, Rwanda: "The war is over, there is a de facto ceasefire". A statement that offers a glimmer of hope this evening. A statement made earlier today by the RPF Chief of Staff. General Kagame asserts that his troops now control the entire country, except for the security zone established by the French.
- While awaiting peace, the ordeal continues for hundreds of thousands of civilians crammed into refugee camps on the border with Zaire. And each day brings a little more horror.
- A humanitarian disaster: that's what's unfolding in Goma on the border with Zaire. More than a million people live in this camp.
- French soldiers and the Red Cross have begun evacuating wounded Rwandans. Yesterday [July 17], mortar fire and stampedes left at least 120 refugees dead.
- Humanitarian organizations have called for emergency aid to avert disaster. Vaccines, medicine, and food are in short supply, and the situation could worsen, as 4,000 people cross the border every hour.