A CANADIAN-led United Nations military force is now almost certain to arrive in Zaire within a few weeks to help starving refugees and facilitate their return to Rwanda.
Aid agencies, however, warn that hunger and disease may have claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of the 1.2 million Hutu refugees in eastern Zaire before the force of European and African troops arrives.
Meanwhile, agencies, including Concern and Trocaire, which have been trying for two days to bring food and medical supplies into eastern Zaire, reported "painfully slow" progress. The Tutsi-dominated rebels who control the area have erected bureaucratic obstacles, preventing the speedy delivery of aid, although they say the humanitarian operation can go ahead once they are satisfied with the procedures to be followed.
UN agencies crossed into Zairean territory on Monday and again yesterday despite the refusal of the Zairean government. This move, which was sanctioned by the UN Secretary-General, Dr Boutros Boutros Ghali, is highly unusual, as UN agencies usually require approval of a state to enter its territory.
The Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ms Joan Burton, said yesterday that the military force must not only help bring aid to the refugees, "it must also disarm the militias and have a clear understanding that there must be no more refugee camps".
The strength of the mandate given to the force is regarded as crucial to its success, with the European Union favouring a very strong, interventionist mandate. The armed Hutu militias are known to have been preventing starving refugees from returning to Rwanda, as they provided them - the people who conducted the 1994 genocide - with "human shields" against attack as well as attracting international humanitarian assistance from which the militias benefit.
According to Ms Burton, both Zairean and Rwandan ministers have said in talks over the last three days that they want no more refugee camps, and that refugees should return to their home countries. The camps within Zaire on Rwanda's borders, which have existed for close on two years, have been almost all dispersed over the last three weeks as a result of fighting.
The emerging plan is to establish a number of sanctuary areas on Zairean soil where refugees could be fed and receive medical attention. Those entering these areas would have to be unarmed. Once inside, they would be encouraged to return to Rwanda. The international community would refuse to set up or service long-term refugee camps in Zaire.
But some aid agencies are sceptical about the plan, saying that they do not see how the military force can separate the armed militias from unarmed refugees without serious fighting.
The UN Security Council has yet to approve the force, but this is expected within days. The crucial negotiation on the force's mandate will then begin.
Ms Burton yesterday described the Canadian offer to lead the force as "an excellent proposal". The Canadian army has considerable peace-keeping experience, has no history in the region that would render it unacceptable to any of the parties, and many of its soldiers speak French, the main second language in the region.
Diplomatic sources suggest the force could contain a relatively small number of soldiers - perhaps 3,000 to 5,000. There is speculation that Spain and Britain could provide troops, and a small Irish participation has not been ruled out. South Africa and Mali may also send troops.