African Ministers OK Congo Peace Plan

African foreign and defense ministers signed a draft cease-fire plan Wednesday to end the civil war in Congo, a conflict that has drawn in soldiers from five countries.

The draft agreement, reached after two weeks of intense negotiations, will not take effect until 24 hours after it has been signed by the heads of the six nations involved in the war, leaders of the three Congolese rebel groups and other regional and organizational leaders.

That formal signing is expected to occur next week in Lusaka, said Eric Silwamba, minister of state for Zambian President Frederick Chiluba. Chiluba has been the chief mediator of the conflict.

It was unclear whether rebels fighting in eastern Congo had accepted the draft plan, but rebel leaders attended the talks and their main backers, Rwanda and Uganda, signed onto the deal, officials said. Rebels occupy the eastern third of the country.

The cease-fire calls for a joint military commission to implement the peace accord, and for the creation of a unified army after a 90-day national dialogue on Congo’s political future. It also calls for peacekeeping troops from the Organization of African Unity or the United Nations to oversee the accord.