UN-backed peace summit in DR Congo ends with possible deal in reach

The United Nations-backed peace summit in the war-torn eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) reportedly ended today, with delegates said to be hammering out a final agreement between the Government and various armed groups.

The Conference on Peace, Security and Development taking place in Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, has apparently concluded and participants are said to be negotiating a pact, UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters in New York.

In recent months, fighting has escalated between Government troops and rebels allied with dissident General Laurent Nkunda, forcing hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee their homes.

The UN refugee agency estimates that over the last year, a mix of conflict, military build-up and spiralling lawlessness has displaced 400,000 people in North Kivu – the worst displacement since the end of the DRC’s civil war in 2003. In total, there are an estimated 800,000 displaced people in the province, including those uprooted by previous conflicts.