Congo peace deal to be signed in Uganda, says official

             
A peace deal between Congo and the M23 rebel movement will be signed in the Ugandan capital Kampala on Monday, after rebels declared an end to their insurgency this week.               
"The signing will be here in Kampala on Monday and ... in addition to both delegations who have been negotiating we expect representatives from the African Union and the United Nations," Ugandan government spokesman Ofwono Opondo told Reuters.            

Earlier, Congo's Foreign Minister Raymond Tshibanda told Reuters that the Democratic Republic of Congo will sign a peace deal on Monday with the M23 rebel group after it laid down its arms this week following a string of defeats.            

"It was decided one day after the M23 declaration renouncing the rebellion that the government would give them five days before the signing," Tshibanda said during a visit to Paris. "Those five days end on Monday, so the signing is on Monday."                           

"This signature is important because it in essence focuses on M23 going into barracks and demobilising, and to resolve other problems," he said in an interview.                   


REUTERS