RWANDA . . . ZAIRE'S BORDER GAME

Zairian paratroopers closed their border for the second time since Saturday, trying to stem a flood of Hutu refugees as French troops withdrew from a protected zone within Rwanda. The Zairian troops stopped the flow for six hours, after 3,000 Hutu crossed from Rwanda to the overwhelmed camps near Bukavu, Zaire. Meanwhile, the refugees' French protectors -- highly criticized for interventionism when they arrived two months ago -- are leaving with international accolades for saving Rwandan lives. "The French have had the last laugh on this one," says TIMEsenior correspondent William Rademaekers, in Paris. "They've got 50,000 people sitting in the south of France as a rapid reaction force, and they're ready to go somewhere again."