Uganda: Army pulls out from northern Congo

(SomaliNet) The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) foreign minister said on Monday that Uganda has started withdrawing troops from the north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo under a deal reached in talks aimed at defusing tensions between the two nations.

\"The Ugandan army has begun to withdraw its troops present in several localities in the Mahagi territory in the DRC,\" said Antipas Mbusa Nyamwisi.

The withdrawal follows talks in the Tanzanian city of Arusha between DRC President Joseph Kabila and his Ugandan counterpart, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.

Under terms of an agreement signed on Saturday, the two presidents decided on an \"immediate\" retreat of the Ugandan troops, who have been present in the area for nearly two months.
The DRC foreign minister said the moves signaled a new era of cooperation between the two Great Lakes nations.

\"We have common natural resources whose exploitation relies on us providing a favorable climate\" for business, he said.

The two presidents also agreed to put a border security system in place within a month, the foreign minister said.

Kampala has accused Kinshasa of sheltering Ugandan rebels. Meanwhile, Kinshasa has complained of Congolese militias recruiting combatants in Congolese refugee camps located in Uganda. - Sapa-AFP