5,000 Protesters Pelt Troops in Zaire

GOMA, Zaire — Infuriated by thieving soldiers preying on residents and refugees, more than 5,000 protesters pelted troops with rocks and blocked food convoys Thursday.

The nearly two-hour demonstration in downtown Goma was touched off by the shooting death of a well-known money-changer. His body was carried through the streets on a wooden stretcher. Protesters said the man was shot by a soldier who demanded money.

Hundreds of refugees joined in the marches, which delayed food trucks and escalated the recriminations against the Zairian soldiers. Goma residents say troops have conducted house-to-house extortion campaigns and robberies at gunpoint. U.N. officials also have accused Zairian soldiers of looting from refugees in the camps around Goma.