When the rebels swept into Kigali in August 1994, about 90 percent of Rwanda's police officers and prosecutors had been killed or had gone into exile.

The rebels swept west through the centre of the city, and Aldgate was opened to let the rest of the rebels in.

Undaunted, the rebels swept southwest to take the city of Punia and are now threatening the city of Lubutu, well behind the mercenary lines.

In January, after rebels of the Zapatista National Liberation Army swept through, it became violently clear that the town as less cohesive than the votes suggested.

The rebels have swept across much of the eastern countryside in recent weeks.

Since their start six months ago, the rebels have swept Zaire's poorly equipped and badly trained army out of most of eastern Zaire.

The rebels swept through this village in a bloody operation to settle scores with unarmed villagers.

After capturing Mek'ele, the Woyane rebels swept south to the mountain where they encountered a government force consisting of 2,000 regular soldiers and 8,000 territorials.

In July, as rebels swept through the Nafusa mountains, the village of Qawalish was subjected to a very similar fate.

Krubo became lost five weeks ago, caught in the crossfire as the rebels swept into the outskirts of Monrovia.