CENTRAL AFRICA UNDER THREAT

Sir, - I hesitate to take issue with my friends in Cairde Rwanda (letters, November 5th), but I am afraid they have fallen into…

Sir, - I hesitate to take issue with my friends in Cairde Rwanda (letters, November 5th), but I am afraid they have fallen into the John O'Shea "something must be done" school of African studies, without in any way telling us what they think should be done. They also betray a curious lack of faith in the ability of Africans to seek solutions to their own problems.

Democrats everywhere should applaud the Banyamulenge uprising in Eastern Zaire. Every effort must now be made to support the safe return of refugees to Rwanda under international monitoring. International resources should never again be allowed to feed military encampments on Rwanda's border.

The propping up of Zaire should not be an international priority. The reordering of African borders, based on African imperatives, need not necessarily be a bad thing. The failure of the OAU even to consider this has been a major cause of instability in Africa for many years. - Yours, etc.,

Brookvale Road,

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Donnybrook, Dublin 4.