Kampala — The Ugandan government and the Lord's Resistance Army rebels signed a deal declaring a "permanent" yesterday afternoon to cap a week of impressive achievements at the ongoing peace talks in Juba, South Sudan.

"We signed a permanent ceasefire agreement...," said Capt Chris Magezi, the spokesman of the government peace delegation.

"This is another major breakthrough since we resumed the talks [a week ago]. It is a declaration of ceasefire and it will commence 24 hours after the signing of the final peace agreement."

UN envoy Joaquim Chissano told Reuters news agency: "It is the laying down of arms. It is the end of the war."

At the start of the talks in July 2006, the parties signed a cessation of hostilities agreement that required fighters on both sides to stop shooting at each other but remain with their weapons.

The ceasefire deal just signed takes that a step further - requiring combatants to lay down their arms ready for disarmament.

Five-point agenda

The last item on the five-point agenda now is reaching an agreement on the disarmament, demobilisation and re-integration of the rebel fighters. Once that is done, all that will remain is the signing of a comprehensive or final peace agreement which mediators such as Mr Chissano, the former President of Mozambique, are predicting may happen in a matter of days.

The LRA delegation members could not be reached for a comment as calls to their satellite telephones went unanswered.

Capt Magezi said that by signing the agreement, the LRA fighters must assemble at Ri-Kwangba on the border between Sudan and DR Congo.

Ri-Kwangba is one of two places the rebels were required to assemble at after they signed the cessation of hostilities agreement. The government has, however, said the rebels never quite honoured that obligation and have either been roaming around South Sudan causing havoc or streaming into the Central African Republic.

"Ceasefire is a very important stage and we do not want to repeat the mistakes which we saw with the cessation of hostilities," said the government's chief negotiator Ruhakana Rugunda recently. "We will recommend a stronger ceasefire monitoring team to make sure that parties do not breach it."

The rebels in turn accused the government army of going after them using helicopters. In the agreement, according to Capt Magezi, a provision was left for the United Nations to "come in to play a critical role in areas of monitoring the compliance with the ceasefire".

After a tortuous process since talks began in mid-2006, the speed of progress in recent days has taken observers by surprise, particularly after the LRA delegation walked out at one point last week in a row over Cabinet jobs and cash.

The insurgency aimed at destabilising President Museveni's government since 1986 has devastated northern Uganda, killed thousands of people, displaced about two million, and become infamous for the brutal methods of the rebels including mutilating victims.

Early last week the parties signed an accord on how to implement agenda item three on reconciliation and accountability where special courts in Uganda will prosecute crimes committed during the war.