Congo and M23 Rebels Sign Peace Deal
by VOA News December 12, 2013
A Kenyan presidential spokesman says the Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 rebels have signed a peace agreement in Nairobi. Spokesman Manoah Esipisu announced the agreement on his Twitter account on Thursday.
Neighboring Uganda has been instrumental in brokering the agreement, and Esipisu said Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni congratulated DRC President Joseph Kabila and the M23 for signing the pact.
M23 consists of fighters who joined the Congolese army in a 2009 peace deal but later defected after complaining of poor treatment. They launched a rebellion in April 2012 and seized territory in Congo's North Kivu province.
In November, the rebel group announced it was laying down its arms, after the Congolese army seized its last strongholds.
Former U.S. Senator Russ Feingold is among the dignitaries who attended the signing ceremony. Feingold, the special envoy to the Great Lakes region of Africa, released a photo from the ceremony and said, on Twitter, that he was pleased to be present for the signing of the 'historic documents.'
Congo had accused neighboring Rwanda and Uganda of supporting M23, an allegation both countries denied.
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