Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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January 21, 2008

Armed Groups in Eastern DR Congo to Sign Cease-Fire Deal
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1AFE19E:A6F02AD83191E1601B1DDFAB465FB3EC5C6F54A6CF9DC2CA& Officials says
representatives of warring parties reached agreement on truce after
two weeks of talks in Goma, capital of North Kivu province





Delegates gather at the start of a peace conference in Goma, 06 Jan
2008Officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo say armed groups in
the eastern Kivu provinces are preparing to sign a cease-fire deal
with the government.

The officials said Monday that representatives of the warring parties
reached agreement on a truce after two weeks of talks in Goma, the
capital of North Kivu province.

The Reuters news agency quotes the DRC's national assembly speaker,
Vital Kamerhe, as saying the deal will be signed on Tuesday. Details
of the agreement have not yet been officially announced.

The goal of the talks has been to end fighting in eastern Congo
between government forces, a local Mai Mai militia and Tutsi rebels
loyal to renegade General Laurent Nkunda.

The fighting in North and South Kivu provinces has raged on despite
the official end of a broader civil war in the DRC in 2003.

Nkunda began his insurgency in 2004, saying local Tutsis needed
protection from Rwandan Hutu rebels camped out in the area.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.


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