This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/africa/7199412.stm
The article has changed 10 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| East DR Congo peace deal 'close' | East DR Congo peace deal 'close' |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Talks on the future of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are coming to a head, with a peace agreement now close to being signed. | Talks on the future of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are coming to a head, with a peace agreement now close to being signed. |
| The deal has been sponsored by the US, the EU and the African Union. | The deal has been sponsored by the US, the EU and the African Union. |
| It is designed to end months of bloody conflict around the town of Goma, which has driven over 450,000 people from their homes in the last year. | It is designed to end months of bloody conflict around the town of Goma, which has driven over 450,000 people from their homes in the last year. |
| Talks involving the Dr Congo government and more than 20 rebel groups have been under way for more than two weeks. | Talks involving the Dr Congo government and more than 20 rebel groups have been under way for more than two weeks. |
| The key rebel movement is led by dissident General Laurent Nkunda, who repulsed a major government offensive last December. | The key rebel movement is led by dissident General Laurent Nkunda, who repulsed a major government offensive last December. |
| Mediators at the talks say there has been some progress, and that there is general agreement between the government and Gen Nkunda - but no signing is expected before Tuesday. | Mediators at the talks say there has been some progress, and that there is general agreement between the government and Gen Nkunda - but no signing is expected before Tuesday. |
| 'Historic moment' | |
| The BBC's Lubunga Byaombe at the conference said that delegates were trying to decide whether Gen Nkunda should be integrated into the army or sent into exile. | The BBC's Lubunga Byaombe at the conference said that delegates were trying to decide whether Gen Nkunda should be integrated into the army or sent into exile. |
| The agreement would establish a technical commission to oversee a permanent ceasefire, a disengagement of troops and the disarmament of the rebels. | The agreement would establish a technical commission to oversee a permanent ceasefire, a disengagement of troops and the disarmament of the rebels. |
| Profile: Gen Nkunda | Profile: Gen Nkunda |
| On offer is a promise of an amnesty for the rebels, but this would only cover insurrection against the government - not human rights violations. | On offer is a promise of an amnesty for the rebels, but this would only cover insurrection against the government - not human rights violations. |
| The government has issued an international arrest warrant against Gen Nkunda, for alleged war crimes committed by his forces. | The government has issued an international arrest warrant against Gen Nkunda, for alleged war crimes committed by his forces. |
| He says he is defending his Tutsi community against Rwandan Hutu rebels who have been based in eastern DR Congo since the 1994 genocide. | He says he is defending his Tutsi community against Rwandan Hutu rebels who have been based in eastern DR Congo since the 1994 genocide. |
| Once signed, United Nations troops would keep the two sides apart, moving into 13 positions vacated by the rebels. | Once signed, United Nations troops would keep the two sides apart, moving into 13 positions vacated by the rebels. |
| And within a week specialist advisers would fly in from the United States, Britain and Europe, to try to work on the details. | And within a week specialist advisers would fly in from the United States, Britain and Europe, to try to work on the details. |
| The European Union is promising $150m of aid to reconstruct the region, which has been devastated by the fighting. | The European Union is promising $150m of aid to reconstruct the region, which has been devastated by the fighting. |
| "This is increasingly looking like an historic moment for eastern Congo," Anneke van Woudenberg of Human Rights Watch said. | "This is increasingly looking like an historic moment for eastern Congo," Anneke van Woudenberg of Human Rights Watch said. |
| "If the agreement is signed it will be an important foundation for bringing peace and ending the suffering of so many thousands of people." | "If the agreement is signed it will be an important foundation for bringing peace and ending the suffering of so many thousands of people." |