Rebels attend Congo peace talks

Some 800,000 people fled their homes last year in fighting between General Laurent Nkunda's forces and the Congolese army.

General Nkunda's supporters say the government must also deal with Rwandan Hutu rebels, who have not been invited to the talks.

The general will not personally attend the nine-day summit.

General Nkunda claims his forces are protecting ethnic Tutsis in North Kivu province from the FDLR (Democratic Front for the Liberation of Rwanda), a militia made up of Hutus driven out of neighbouring Rwanda after the 1994 genocide.

The rebels accuse the government of tolerating" the FDLR and say there is little chance of lasting peace being agreed in Goma, the regional capital, unless the government commits to tackling them.

Fierce fighting between government forces and troops loyal to General Nkunda preceded the December ceasefire, as both sides tried to gain the upper hand.

It is the latest stage in a wider conflict that has lasted over 10 years, cost millions of lives, and torn the country apart.

Some members of President Joseph Kabila's government in Kinshasa were reluctant to accept Gen Nkunda's call for talks, preferring to continue the conflict.

Over 600 delegates from several opposing factions were at the opening ceremony, including Congo's Interior Minister Denis Kalume, who urged all renegade groups to disarm.