April 13, 1991

An image evoked by mentioning the leaders who rule Africa is often this: a young military officer, after shooting his way to power, promotes himself to general. He bans political parties except the one he controls. And there is a variant: color portraits of the president hang in every store and restaurant. He insists on being called "doctor," or the "guide" or the "No. 1 peasant." He is the richest man in the land. He does not run for election, ever. For nearly three decades, all but a handful of African nations have been run to some degree as single-party states under a powerful authoritarian leader. The only way that governments changed hands was by military coup, or in the relatively rare instances when a ruler died in office of natural causes. Autocrats in Danger But in just a few months, pro-democracy challenges to Africa's entrenched autocratic leaders have grown to the point that many are in greater danger of being deposed than ever. And their demise is likely to forever alter the highly personal style of rule that has dominated the continent since the first wave of decolonization 30 years ago.

Sales-tax collections in New York City dropped sharply over the winter, according to figures released yesterday, raising new alarms about the city's economy, and forcing city officials to scramble to close a new gap of several hundred million in the city's current budget. "New York City's economy is in free fall," said James W. Wetzler, the New York State Commissioner of Taxation and Finance. "Whether it will continue is a matter of speculation."

Limited Mideast Consensus Secretary of State Baker ended his latest trip to the Middle East with an apparent consensus on holding an Arab-Israeli conference, but not on what would be discussed. Page 5. Paterson Takeover Sought The New Jersey Education Commissioner began the process of seizing control of schools in Paterson, saying the district's leaders can't turn around the troubled system. Page 25. The Truth About April 15 Factors that lead to cheating on tax returns include not just how much people owe but how and when they must pay it, a study shows. Page 6.

Down a vast treeless bowl, high in northern Iran's mountains, an endless river of Kurdish exiles now seems almost frozen in place, by icy weather that has killed scores, by gas shortages that have immobilized hundreds of cars and vans, by stiff military security that has made passage to warmth and food on the plateau below a slow and agonizing process. The Iranian officials said 8,000 vehicles and 150,000 refugees fleeing Iraq and Saddam Hussein's army have traveled the mountain pass to Iran in the last eight days. Today, Iran's army was mounting a dogged effort to feed and shelter the hungry, half-clothed horde still making the trek.

Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney faced an expected wave of Congressional protest today as he formally announced his recommendation to close 31 major military installations. House Armed Services Committee analysts estimated that the closings would wipe out nearly 70,000 military and civilian jobs by 1997, or 3.3 percent of the 2.1 million military and civilian personnel serving in the United States. The Pentagon runs 485 installations around the country.