The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) signed a peace deal on January 24 with several armed groups, including the Tutsi-defending rebels led by renegade General Laurent Nkunda and the Mai Mai militia.

The agreement establishes an immediate ceasefire to end fighting that has caused almost 500 000 people to flee their homes in the eastern provinces of North and South Kivu since September.

Nkunda agreed to integrate his troops into the national army and participate in a process known as brassage. This involves rebel soldiers being deployed in different areas of the country and mixing with troops of different ethnicities. It also involves full military re-training. Nkunda was initially opposed to this because he feared for the safety of his troops and wanted them to remain stationed in the Kivus under his command, but as part of the regular Congolese army. He feels that the Tutsis still require protection from the Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda (FDLR), Rwandan Hutus operating in the DRC since the 1994 genocide.

However the agreement also specifies the repatriation of Rwandan Hutus.

The government of Rwanda, which has reportedly supplied arms to Nkunda's troops, was absent from the talks.

All rebel leaders have been granted an amnesty from acts of war committed between June 2003 and the date of the agreement, but this amnesty may not extend to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

Meanwhile a new survey by the International Rescue Committee said preventable diseases and starvation aggravated by conflict have claimed 5.4 million lives since the second Congo war in 1998.