Will the rebellious white mercenaries ever leave the Congo peacefully? Perhaps. But many mysteries must be solved, many snags removed, many feelings soothed before it happens. Under the sponsorship of the Organization of African Unity, the International Red Cross has been negotiating with Col. Jean Schramme, the mercenary leader, about the evacuation of 130 white mercenaries, 1,000 Katangese gendarmes, and 1,000 Katangese wives and children from this eastern Congo city that they seized almost three months ago. But the talks may founder on a number of questions. The first is whether Schramme really intends to go. Schramme, a 37-year-old Belgian who owned a plantation in the colonial Congo, is a confused visionary who wants to overthrow President Joseph D. Mobutu and remake the independent Congo. Schramme says, "Our military position is better than ever." and it is true that he and his men probably can defend Bukavu indefinitely. But his rebellion has failed so far to ignite an uprising against Mobutu...

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