African Union Peacekeeping

KAMPALA, Uganda—Hopes for a United Nations deal struck this weekend aimed at ending the long-running conflict in Democratic Republic of Congo quickly began to unravel, as rival rebel groups in eastern Congo entered into a second day of fighting on Monday.

Eleven African countries signed a UN-drafted peace deal on Sunday to stabilise the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where rebels allegedly backed by neighbouring countries last year threatened to oust the government. Opening the agreement-signing meeting at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon said the peace, security and co-operation framework would bring stability to the region.

African heads of state are due to gather in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, on Sunday to sign a "comprehensive framework agreement" intended to bring peace to the war-ravaged eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Republic of Angola is seriously engaged at international level, in the struggle for peace and security in the world and for fairer relations, said today, Monday, in Luanda, the minister of National Defence, Cândido Pereira Van-Dúnem.

The joint political-security talks between Sudan and South Sudan that were scheduled to start on Wednesday in the Ethiopian capital have been postponed indefinitely, according to a news report.

France has called for peace talks to be held between Mali's government and "legitimate representatives" from rebel groups in the north of the country, after French troops took control of the city of Kidal, the last settlement held by al-Qaeda-linked rebel fighters.

African Union troops and tanks occupied al Shabaab's former stronghold of Kismayu on Tuesday, but the Somali Islamist militants gave notice of their intention to fight back, saying they detonated a bomb in the port city.