The Security Council mandate for the force is up for renewal at the end of this month and will probably be suspended if Mr. Kabila does not yield, leading to fears of a sharp increase in fighting. Mr. Kabila, who angered even his close allies by staying away from a regional economic summit meeting last week, was the last of 10 African presidents to arrive at a convention center in Lusaka on Monday for the biggest gathering of high-level officials on the Congo conflict. South Africa's president, Thabo Mbeki, and other leaders of countries not directly involved in the fighting went to their hotels after seven hours of closed-door talks on Monday. But the warring parties and Mr. Chiluba continued meeting late into the night to discuss ways to enforce a cease-fire, withdraw forces and foster political dialogue. Disillusion with Mr. Kabila's government, which came to power three years ago after ending the decades-long dictatorial rule by Mobutu Sese Seko, has become increasingly profound.
Politicians are regularly arrested, newspapers are closed and police harassment is again the norm.
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