Cubans trained us, say rebels

Press, 29 May 1978, Page 9

Cubans trained us, say rebels

NZPA-Reuter New York. Two wounded Katangese rebels, now in hospital in Kolwezi, have told “Newsweek” magazine that Cubans trained the rebel forces which invaded Zaire’s Shaba province this month. Identifying themse Ives only as “Joseph” and “An-! toine,” the prisoners told! “Newsweek’s” correspondent, Arnaud de Borchgrave that the “Operation Dove” attack on Kolwezi and: Shaba province had been planned a long time ago. Several hundred people had infiltrated the copper mining town some months ago to recruit sympathisers, and had given - rudimentary military training ■ to 50Q youths from -the Lunda tribe. The' main force of 3000 men was being trained byCubans at the same time in a camp in Angola) the prisoners said, refusing to say exactly where the. camp was. There was a principal 'strike force of 2000 to take Kolwezi, the remainder being assigned targets near i the town. Three separate iconvoys took the main body ! through north-west Zambia |to an unguarded part of the Zaire border. During the night they, reached a point 35km from Kolwezi, and local guides: | took them on foot to the : town. : They left their Angolan I camp on May 2. Two Cuban j advisers accompanied them all the way to Zaire. Six “Portuguese Marxists” who stayed on in Angola after its independence were with the group too. Political commissars had been attached to each squad of 50 men, some of them had been trained in Cuba and East Germany, the prisoners said. Cuba has offered the Rhodesian nationalist leader, Joshua Nkomo, 100 officers and soldiers to bolster his I guerrilla force, according to i the “Boston Globe.” If accepted, it would mark the first, direct involvement of Cuban soldiers in Rhodesia, the newspaper said. The Cubans are now believed to be teaching infiltration and hit-and-run tactics to several hundred of Mr Nkomo’s guerrillas. Mr Nkomo’s headquarters are in Zambia.