Congo and Rwanda will sign a peace agreement in Washington on June 27, a joint press release from the nations and the U.S. State Department said Wednesday.
Both countries have agreed to the terms of the deal aimed at ending fighting in eastern Congo. Congo has accused Rwanda of backing M23 rebels in the east of the country. U.N. experts say the rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from the neighboring nation.
The decades-long conflict escalated in January, when the M23 rebels advanced and seized the strategic Congolese city of Goma, followed by the town of Bukavu in February. The draft agreement includes “provisions on respect for territorial integrity and a prohibition of hostilities; disengagement, disarmament, and conditional integration of non-state armed groups,” the joint statement said.
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