PRETORIA, South Africa - With smiles and a firm handshake, the leaders of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a peace agreement yesterday that Africans hope will end one of their continent's most destructive and hopeless conflicts.
More than 2 million people, most of them civilians, died during four years of fighting in Congo, formerly known as Zaire, a Central African nation the size of Western Europe. Dubbed Africa's "First World War," the conflict drew in soldiers from a half-dozen nations, rebel armies and, at times, traditional tribal warriors armed with spears, bows and arrows.
They battled in Congo's rain forests, river valleys and mountains in a series of wars: between Congo and Rwanda; Congo and rebel groups; and competing rebels backed by warring African nations.
"No more blood must run," declared Congolese President Joseph Kabila during a ceremony with Rwandan President Paul Kagame in South Africa's capital. "Everything has a beginning and an end. ... There is a time for war. There is a time for peace."
Finding a lasting solution to the bitter war is considered the key to bringing stability to the continent as a whole.
"It's a bright day, I think, for the whole African continent," said South African President Thabo Mbeki, who sat between Kabila and Kagame during the ceremony. "I would say without peace in this region, you couldn't talk about peace and development on the continent generally. This matter is crucial."
Although other attempts have been made to end the war in Congo, including a 1999 cease-fire, the peace has not held. Yesterday's agreement, however, is being hailed as the first accord to address the primary causes of the war, which date to 1994.
Rwanda accuses Congo of harboring thousands of Hutu militiamen, who led the slaughter in Rwanda of a half-million Tutsis and moderate Hutus in 1994 before fleeing across the border.
The war started in 1998, when the Rwandan army invaded Congo to crush the militias, secure its borders and topple then-President Laurent Kabila, whom Rwanda accused of threatening its security. Allied with Uganda, Burundi and Congolese rebels, Rwanda's army occupied much of eastern Congo. Angola, Namibia and Zimbabwe rushed to Congo's defense.
Under the peace accord, Rwanda will withdraw 40,000 troops from Congo. In return, Congo will cooperate with the United Nations in rounding up thousands of Hutu militiamen hiding in Congo, disarming them and repatriating them to Rwanda. The countries have 90 days to complete those steps.
