(SomaliNet) The UN said its mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Thursday negotiated a ceasefire between the DRC army and renegade troops loyal to former general Laurent Nkunda in the eastern town of Sake. UN troops had taken control of the town in the Nord-Kivu province, the site of recent clashes that have caused thousands of local residents to flee.
The UN mission "facilitated a ceasefire between Nkunda's troops and the government at 12.30pm," said Sylvie van den Wildenberg, spokesperson for Monuc, as the UN mission in the Central African country is known.
"Nkunda's men, who tried to take Sake this morning, have agreed to withdraw into the hills" surrounding the town, she said, adding that Monuc had deployed troops throughout Sake.