M23 fighters have lost most of the territory they had captured
The
M23 rebel group in the Democratic Republic of Congo says it is calling a
ceasefire to allow peace talks with with the government to proceed.
In a statement, the rebels called on the organisers of the peace talks in neighbouring Uganda to "put in place a mechanism to monitor the ceasefire".
At least 800,000 people have been left homeless since the conflict started.
The M23 launched a rebellion in eastern DR Congo in April 2012.
It is made up of army deserters who say they are fighting for the rights of the minority Tutsi ethnic group.
'All but finished' Last Monday, the UN special envoy to DR Congo, Martin Kobler, said the M23 was all but finished as a military threat in DR Congo.
His comments came after government forces captured five M23-held areas, including one where the rebels had a big military training camp.
Peace talks in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, broke down last month following two months of negotiations.
The government forces have been backed by a UN intervention brigade deployed earlier this year to confront the M23 and other armed groups.
The rebels briefly occupied the eastern Congolese city of Goma in November 2012 before pulling out under international pressure.
The M23 rebel movement is named after a 23 March 2009 peace deal that ended four years of rebellion in eastern DR Congo.
SOURCE: BBC
