Uganda and Rwanda to quit Kisangani

Kagame and Museveni: Agreed to demilitarise

Uganda and Rwanda have agreed to withdraw their troops 100 km (60 miles) from Kisangani, the Congolese city where they clashed earlier this month.

"The D-Day of the pullout will depend on the sequence of events," Ugandan armed forces chief Major General Jeje Odongo told reporters after meeting his Rwandan counterpart, Brigadier General Kayumba Nyamwasa, in Kampala.

"The fact that the two parties are holding talks without a third party is an indication they are ready to stop fighting," the Rwandan commander said.

Recent clashes in Kisangani between the two armies have strained relations between Uganda and Rwanda, which for years have regarded each other as unshakeable allies.

Both counties support the rebels who control the eastern half of the Democratic Republic of Congo, but their backing of different rebel factions caused gun battles earlier this month.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Rwandan President Paul Kagame agreed on Sunday to resolve the problems which led to the clashes in Kisangani, which killed 28 people and injured more than 150.

Lusaka agreement

They also reaffirmed their commitment to the Lusaka peace accord - the agreement signed last year which was meant to bring peace to DR Congo, but which has been violated by all parties on various occasions.

Rwanda and Uganda share a strategic interest in the east of DR Congo, since both face a threat from the Interahamwe.

The Hutu extremist militia, linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide, is based in the area.

Uganda previously provided a base for Mr Kagame's Rwandan Patriotic Front, when it was fighting to overthrow the previous Hutu regime in Rwanda.