"The parties reiterate their commitment to respect, from yesterday, the ceasefire accord signed in Bunia on March 18, 2003," read the deal, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.
The signatories to the deal reached in the Tanzanian economic capital, Dar es Salaam, included representatives of armed groups drawn from Ituri's minority Hema ethnic group and the majority Lendu.
They included Thomas Lubanga, the head of the Hema-led Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC), which overran Ituri's capital, Bunia, and an official of the Front of Nationalists and Integrationists, a Lendu group, which has since tried in vain to take the town back.
Fighting has repeatedly ravaged Bunia in violation of the March accord and most of the town's population has since fled. Aid agencies are struggling to provide water and food for those who remain, while the United Nations has appealed for troops to bolster its beleaguered force in DRC, MONUC.
Friday's accord also provided for the cantonment of fighters, the demilitarisation of Bunia and the deployment of foreign troops in the region.
It also warned foreign governments against arming groups involved in the conflict, a charge that has been variously leveled at Rwanda and Uganda, which last week pulled the last of its troops from Bunia.
The other signatories were the Armed Forces of Congolese People, the People's Forces for Democracy in Congo and the Party for the Unity and Safeguard of Congo's Integrity, which, is close to the UPC. – Sapa.
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