Army and rebels sign truce

Congo’s armed forces and representatives of the Ninja and Cocoye rebel militias signed an accord in the southern port city of Pointe-Noire on Tuesday calling for a cessation of hostilities, news agencies reported. The accord called for “the unconditional, nationwide end of armed clashes between the different militias and government forces,” Reuters reported. It said more than 200 representatives of militias allied to former president Pascal Lissouba and former prime minister Bernard Kolelas took part in the four-day talks that led to the signing. The accord also called for amnesty and rehabilitation of rebels who lay down their weapons and renounce violence, but it did not give a timetable for implementation. The talks were held in collaboration with officials from the former Lissouba regime who had recently returned from exile, news agencies said.