Congo Pinning Peace Hopes on New Cease-Fire

The warring sides in the Democratic Republic of Congo agreed to a new cease-fire deal Saturday, hoping to end a conflict that has raged on despite a peace agreement signed last year.

The Joint Military Commission, which brings together the Congolese government, rebel leaders and five other African nations involved in the war, said the cease-fire will begin Friday.

“The plan provides for the immediate and total cessation of hostilities on 14 April, 2000,” the commission said in a statement at the end of five days of talks in Kampala, the Ugandan capital.

The war began in August 1998 and pits three rebel armies and their foreign allies, Uganda and Rwanda, against President Laurent Kabila, who has the military support of Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia.

A peace deal signed in August 1999 has been repeatedly ignored, but negotiators said clauses written into the new agreement give peace a better chance.

“This time we have a detailed plan of disengagement of the forces,” said Amama Mbabazi, Uganda’s regional affairs minister.

“We have also agreed on operational orders, which were signed by the military leaders and will be sent to the field,” Mbabazi said.

He said “disengagement zones” will be set up in key regions for the rival armies and added that U.N. observers will help implement the deal.

The United Nations approved a 5,500-member observer mission to Congo but made clear that it will not be deployed until the peace process is revived and a cease-fire respected.

A senior United Nations official said Saturday that the cease-fire deal was a positive development.

“If on April 14 this commitment can be put in practice, it will hasten U.N. troop deployment and convince countries who are still hesitant to provide troops to change their minds,” said Kamel Morjane, a special representative of the U.N. secretary-general.