Refugee Crisis in Zaire Worse

GOMA, Zaire — The Rwandan refugee crisis worsened Monday when Rwanda’s prime minister unexpectedly left office and mine and grenade blasts rocked Rwandan refugee areas in eastern Zaire.

Diplomats said Faustin Twagiramungu, a moderate Hutu, resigned to protest reported killings by the Tutsi-led Rwandan army, but the office director for President Pasteur Bizimungu said the prime minister had been fired.

Either way, the incident showed clear splits in Rwanda’s government over how to deal with the situation, and regional analysts said it was likely to make Hutu refugees in Zaire even more reluctant to return home.