CONGOLESE GUERRILLA FIGHTERS FORGE AHEAD
-i¢..Guerrilla fighters in the Congo made a new and significant gain in opening up a third front, occupying the important towns of Albertville and Baudouinville in northern Katanga and winning control of the whole Congo shore of Lake Tanganyika.
. Up to now, the Congolese guerrilla fighters held two fronts, the first one in Kouilou in the western Congo, the second in Kivou province in. the’ eastern Congo, In the second front, an important victory was scored May 19 when guerrilla fighters occupied Uvira, not far from the Kivou capital city of Bukavu.
Uvira is at the northern end of the Congo shore of Lake Tanganyika,. Using Uvira as a base, a colum of guerrilla fighters marched south and seems to have succeeded in occupying Albertville and Baudouinville without any serious resistance, _
In fact, it seems certain that the soldiers of the "National Congolese Army," commanded by the imperialist stooge Gen, Mobutu, refused to oppose the guerrilla forces at Uvira; and, at Albertville and Baudouinville, they joined the ranks of the freedom fighters,
The guerrilla forces have set up their own administration in Uvira (for Kivou) and in Albertville (for northern Katanga). Their leader is said to be Soumialot, who states that he is serving under the command of the Committee of National Liberation in Brazzaville, where most of the refugee leaders of the Congolese nationalist parties are assembled, He says that he is not connected with Pierre Mulele, the loader of Kouilou guerrilla fighters, who also declares that he is serving under the Committee of National Liberation,
At the moment the situation among the Lumumbist, nationalist forces is not clear, Some, like Gbenyé, who headed the Lumumbist opposition in the Léopoldville parliament before it was suspended by Kasavubu,. seem to be willing to negotiate with Belgian and U,S, im» perialist forces in. constituting an alternative: government to the present Adoula regime, They even have contacts with the extreme. right-wing reactionary forces around Tschombé. Accused of embezzling funds, Gbenyé was expelled from the Committee of National: Liberation, The Committee is now headed by Bocheley-Davidson but it is not clcar how much real authority it wields over the Kouilou, Kivou and northern Katanga guerrilla forces, mo,
U.S, imperialism has been exerting pressure on the government of the small kingdom of Burundi to stop helping the Kivou guerrillas,
Meanwhile United Nations forces are scheduled to withdraw from the Congo on: June 30, and the’ Léopoldville clique look with forebod~ ing at the projected ending of massive foreign assistance in the face of rising popular resistance, They are negotiating feverishly with — Belgian, U.S., West German and French imperialist representatives for continued military aid after the UN forces leave,
GAPRIVI