1.   And the Zairian army is probably not up to defeating the small rebel forces operating in North and South Kivu, either.

2.   Because Kisangani has been sacked by unpaid Zairian army troops twice already in this decade, the population is wary.

3.   Beyond that, most of the territory is still under the control of Rwandan Hutu militias, who have joined the Zairian army in fighting the rebels.

4.   A few sported the uniform of the Zairian army.

5.   But the Tutsi in South Kivu were already armed and prepared last week when the Zairian army began trying to push them out of their villages, refugees said.

6.   Diplomats fear that the conflict between the rebels and the Zairian army could grow into a regional war.

7.   In several lightning campaigns, they have routed both Zairian army troops and the Hutu guerrillas in the camps.

8.   Joined by the Zairian army and local tribal militias that resented the Tutsi, the Hutu militia began massacring Tutsi here and driving them into Rwanda.

9.   Long involved in smuggling operations, the Banyamulenge were no strangers to modern weapons, and the Zairian army is one of the worst in the world.

10.   Most say they fear the rebel soldiers less than the Zairian army that was supposed to protect them.