President Laurent Kabila has returned to the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and he's vowing to stay put and defeat the Rwandan-backed rebels fighting to topple his presidency.

Kabila arrived from his home province of Katanga, where he's been holded up the past several days. He said: "little Rwanda and Uganda will not swallow Congo."

Rebel forces say they're advancing on the country's capital, Kinshasa. Forces loyal to the president insist they're keeping the rebels at bay.

In the meantime, more than 200 Europeans who've fled from Congo arrived in Paris Sunday. They say it's very tense in Kinshasa, as residents await a possible advance on the city by rebel troops.

A Foreign Affairs spokesman says more than 150 Canadians have left Congo over the past two weeks. Approximately 450 Canadians have opted to remain for the time being.