Mobutu plans return to Zaire

The President of Zaire, Mobutu Sese Seko, convalescing in France from cancer surgery, plans to return to his embattled homeland next week, one of his aides said yesterday. Mr Mobutu's protocol chief, Bosco Cassoubia, said the exact day of his departure had not yet been decided.

For over a month, Mr Mobutu has been recuperating from prostate cancer at his Riviera villa near Nice. He has been out of Zaire since August, and has watched from abroad as the central African nation struggles to contain a rebellion and a refugee crisis.

AP - Rocquebrune-Cap-Martin