Rebels of the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD) finished signing a ceasefire to end the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo yesterday, the last of the warring parties to do so.
The signing was completed in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, following a compromise reached after intense diplomatic efforts by South Africa and Zambia.
Six countries with troops in the conflict signed the ceasefire in July while a separate rebel group, the Congo Liberation Movement (MLC), signed on August 1st. The faction-ridden RCD had failed to sign because of a leadership dispute.
The ceremony at Lusaka's InterContinental Hotel took three-quarters of an hour as each of the several dozens of RCD founders had to sign the document.
The latest signatories to the agreement include the Rwandabacked RCD leader, Mr Emile Ilunga and his Uganda-backed counterpart, Mr Ernest Wamba dia Wamba.
The ceasefire agreement stipulates an end to hostilities within 24 hours of the signing. Foreign ministers from southern and central African countries witnessed the signing.
The ceasefire calls on the United Nations to deploy a peacekeeping force in the vast, mineral-rich central African country within four months.
Until then, the ceasefire is to be monitored by a Joint Military Commission formed by the belligerents under a neutral chairman appointed by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), together with UN/OAU observers.
All foreign forces are to be withdrawn after six months. Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia have thousands of troops in the Congo in support of President Laurent Kabila, while Rwanda and Uganda back the rebels.
The agreement stipulates that armed groups in the Congo, including Interahamwe Hutu militia, held mainly responsible for the 1994 Rwandan genocide, will be tracked down and disarmed.
It also calls for the Congo government, the RCD and MLC, as well as unarmed opposition groups, to enter into talks on the country's political future.
The full programme in the ceasefire document is now expected to get under way.