Guerrilla Group Conducts a Back Alley Execution

KINSHASA, Zaire â€”  Beaten bloody, prodded by kicks and lashes with an ammunition belt, the man closed his eyes, spread out his arms and cried, “They are going to shoot me.â€�

Seconds later, a rebel fighter did, blasting four or five bullets into the man’s back with an AK-47. Face twisting, the man fell to his knees in the dusty back alley, then collapsed.

Witnesses said another man was shot to death in a similar manner Sunday and that a stray bullet killed a boy looking on.

Rebel fighters entered the capital Saturday, ending their sweep across this vast Central African nation and ousting dictator Mobutu Sese Seko.

On Sunday, they lined up scores of Mobutu’s soldiers at a military camp in suburban Kinshasa to collect their weapons and accept their surrender.

Hundreds of residents formed a taunting, cursing gantlet, venting years of anger against Zaire’s corrupt military.

Suddenly, a group of rebels appeared, pushing and kicking a tall, muscular man in jeans. The crowd cheered as the man was forced inside.

Twenty minutes later, the man emerged with the left side of his face battered and blood staining his pants. His final procession began--the stumbling man, five rebels toting automatic rifles, and a jeering crowd.

A kick to the side. Lashes with an ammunition belt. Shoved by a rifle butt. The man kept his head down. He was never identified, but onlookers claimed he was a member of Mobutu’s presidential guard.

After 200 yards, rebels shouted for the crowd to get back, then fired in the air to drive them away. The procession turned down a tight alley. Now it was only the man, the rebels and four journalists.

One rebel fiddled with his assault rifle as he walked.

At the end of the alley, the captive was given a final shove forward in the dust. All the rebels backed off but one, who stood three yards from the man. The journalists pressed against a side wall.

Then the bullets came.