Evening star., 1960-09-17
CONGO
Russians Pulling Out
Under Mobutu Order

OuNSB
, communism into the Congo was
one of his less astute moves,
which contributed to his down.
fall. President Kasavubu's S
Abako Party is sharply opposed
to any Communist influence
here and this feeling is shared
widely among other political
parties in opposition to Mr..
Lumumba's national CongoleSe
movement.
The Soviet ambassador and
all other Russians and Czechs,
including Czech Ambassador
Joseph VIRUS, were ordered ex-
PEELED after Col. Mobutu seized
power for the army Wednesday.
The Russians and Czechs
maintained the only permanent
diplomatic missions of the
Soviet bloc in Leopoldville.
| With him Mr.. Yakovlev took
the hopes of the Communist
bloc for any penetration of the
Congo in the immediate future.
400 "TechnicianS"
/ The total number of Eastern
officials and "technicianS" in
the Congo has been estimated
at between 400 and 500.
They moved out of the two
embassies in trucks, vans and
automobiles most of the morn
| ing.
h Women were seated in some
of the trucks carrying baggage
and one truck was heaped high
with documents.
The Communists had been
moving into the Congo with
the explicit assistance of Mr..
Lumumba for the past month.
The Soviet Union sent IL
nyushin-14 planes into the
Congo to assist Mr.. Lumumba
in his war against political foes
in Kasai and Katanga Prov
inces.
Also sent to the Congo by
the Soviet Union were 100 Rus
sian trucks for hauling troops
and supplies to the army.
The CzechS reached the air.
port far ahead of the Russians.
They left their embassy. where
all papers had been burned in
a small incinerator in the back
yard, yesterday.
Four Ilyushin planes from
Accra reached Leopoldville's S
Ndjili Airport about noon.
The exodus took a dramatic
turn when the Soviet Embassy
asked the United Nations to
provide protection during the
night.
This morning when Congo
leSe troops turned up to en-
force the evacuation order the
United Nations troops refused
them entry. The Congolese
commander then turned his
troops over to the U. N. com.
mand and together they
guarded the Russian departure
The United Nations was
known to be concerned about
Mr.. Lumumba's disappearance
y Mr.. Lumumba had requested
a U. N. guard for his residence
but the. understanding was thai
he was free to move about il
he wished.
Among other things, the
U. N. troops and police were
to protect him against unlaw-
full arrest.
After his disappearance Mrs
Lumumba asked for U. N. pro-
lection for herself and her two
children.
1t appeared that Mr.. Lu.
mumba must have left his resi-
dence voluntarily and that hi.
arrest-if true-came at some
other place in the city out OF
reach of U. N. help.
Dispute Remains in U. N.
The Communist exodus still
leaves undecided the dispute
the Russians and their allie.
set off in the United Nation.
when they funneled men anc
supplies into the Congo to aic
Mr.. Lumumba in his power
struggle with Mr.. KaSavubu.
After Col. Modulus soldier.
banned a Scheduled meeting o.
Parliament yesterday, therl
was talk among pro-Lumumbs
senators and deputies of goins
to Stanleyville to hold a rumI
. session Of the suspended legis,
lature.
To avert such a move, Col
J Modulus men kept sharI
= watch on airport traffic.
Mr.. Kasavubu himself sum
moned the legislators yesterday
| but the ban apparently was {
device. to show the easily
. swayed Congolese public tina
: Col. Modulus will was law ant
he had the power to keep Par,
lament from opening.
Some senators accused MI
5 Kasavubu and Col. Mobutu o
. conspiring to play into thu
hands Of the Belgians ant
their fellow imperialists."