As waves of refugees fleeing the civil war poured into the French-declared protection zone and Zaire, a senior French official said the leaders of the rump government might take advantage of the chaos to enter the safe area.
Some members of the Hutu government are likely to be wanted by a UN war-crimes tribunal on charges of organizing the systematic genocide of the Tutsi minority. An estimated 200,000 to 500,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus have been killed by government-backed militia groups.
Aid agencies estimate that more than 200,000 people crossed into Zaire from Rwanda on Thursday, mostly Hutus fleeing the rapid advance of the Tutsi-led rebel forces that have taken control of the country. Some 800,000 to 1 million people are expected to pour over the border by the weekend.
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