Denis Sassou-Nguesso

Since Luanda’s protegé in Congo-Brazzaville General Denis Sassou-Nguesso is also threatened Angola has reduced its force in Congo-K to 2 500 men...

Patassé also risks being overthrown by the army and told Africa Confidential that he fears he might suffer the same treatment as did his friend Pascal Lissouba in Congo-Brazzaville at the hands of Denis Sassou-Nguesso...

up the Atlantic seaboard; its troops have been shoring up President Denis Sassou Nguesso for the past year and are now fighting for Kabila...

Bongo's regional clout is not entirely spent; after negotiations with his father-in-law Congo- B President Denis Sassou Nguesso a substantial section of Congo Basin oil reserves have been brought into Gabon's territorial waters...

By 26 August Kabila could count on varying degrees of support from: • Zimbabwe: President Robert Mugabe was the strongest supporter of military backing for Kinshasa and was equally keen to assert his regional leadership credentials at a time of acute domestic unpopularity; Zimbabwe was a major arms supplier to Kabila before and after he gained power and has growing business interests in Congo; • Angola: fearful that Congo's instability will help Jonas Savimbi's União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola forces it was persuaded by Mugabe to help shore up Kabila as a means of securing the Congo-Angola border and cutting UNITA supply lines; on the back of Angola's involvement we hear that South Africa's Executive Outcomes are also working with Kabila with one report suggesting they might organise a cross-border attack into rebel-held territory in Eastern Congo from Central African Republic; • Namibia: helped persuade Angola's President José Eduardo dos Santos to join the pro-Kabila alliance; is giving logistical support but few if any troops; • Kenya: Daniel arap Moi's government has pledged diplomatic support for Kabila and hasn't ruled out military help; Moi instinctively distrusts any cause backed by Uganda's Yoweri Museveni and Rwanda's General Paul Kagame; • Mozambique: facilitated disguised transhipments of Chinese arms for Congo through Beira corridor to Zimbabwe and on to Lubumbashi; • Tanzania: unease among some ministers about growing Tutsi influence military and diplomatic in the region but is also keen to maintain congenial relations with neighbouring Burundi and Rwanda; it hurriedly withdrew on 24 August some 600 troops and 200 policemen it had sent to Congo for training; • Congo-Brazzaville: has pledged total commitment to Luanda (whose troops help keep President Denis Sassou Nguesso in power) and by extension to Luanda's allies...

The FAA is better armed and trained than ever even if it did encounter surprising problems when helping Denis Sassou Nguesso's Cobra militias in Congo- Brazzaville...

Ex-President André Kolingba wants power again and is encouraged by the examples of Mathieu Kérékou in Benin Didier Ratsiraka in Madagascar and Denis Sassou-Nguesso in Congo Brazzaville...