United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday urged warring parties in the Democratic Republic of Congo to end hostilities, as he prepared to meet with African Union leaders to discuss the situation there. The fighting in eastern Congo between government troops and a mixed militia group of the Coalition of Patriots in the Congolese Resistance (PARECO)/Mayi-Mayi and the National Congress in Defence of the People (CNDP) in the Rutshuru area marred a ceasefire agreement from August, dpa reported. Ban was scheduled to meet with AU leaders in Nairobi on Friday. He called on all sides to revert immediately to the ceasefire agreement and retreat to positions agreed to in August. The fighting in eastern and northern Congo has driven at least 250,000 Congolese out of their homes, creating a fresh humanitarian crisis. The meeting in Nairobi was aimed at working out a solution to the conflict.
