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Groups Sign Deal to End Long Fight In E. Congo
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The painstaking process of disarmament and reintegration has been plagued by corruption and administrative failures. Soldiers who have given up their weapons often do not receive the promised financial compensation, for instance, and wind up joining another militia so they can eat.
Another key issue is the personal fate of Nkunda, who has in recent years set up something of a fiefdom across a swath of Tutsi-owned farms in the east.
The Goma agreement includes a general amnesty for those accused of insurrection, but Nkunda remains vulnerable to international charges of crimes against humanity and recruitment of child soldiers.
Officials involved in the talks said the peace deal would be followed by a "cooling-off period," during which Nkunda might leave the country temporarily. But he has refused offers of exile in the past.
Despite those challenges, diplomats said the agreement was a major step forward.
"This is hugely significant, because it's the first time we've got everyone around the table to sign off on a peace deal," said Alan Doss, the U.N. secretary general's special representative in Congo. "Now comes the hard part. We've got to make it work."
Special correspondent Ashley Lynn in Goma contributed to this report.
