Several groups of militiamen and dissident soldiers have begun surrendering their weapons to join a demobilisation, disarmament and reintegration (DDR) process in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a United Nations official said.

Most of those surrendering are in the district of Ituri in Orientale Province, and in South Kivu Province in the east, according to the military spokesman for the UN Mission in the Congo (MONUC), Lt-Col Didier Rancher.

Eastern DRC has remained one of the most volatile regions in the country, with militias frequently involved in fighting against the regular army.

"The process is continuing this week," Rancher said on Wednesday in the capital, Kinshasa.

The DDR process, conducted by the Congolese army and MONUC, involves the demobilisation of former combatants and their integration into the army or civilian life.

Already, 110 militiamen loyal to the Front des résistants patriotes de l'Ituri (FRPI) have joined the DDR process, while 687 Mai-Mai militiamen arrived at an integration camp, he said. The FRPI and the Mai-Mai are the militia groups active in eastern DRC.
Rancher said at least 62 dissident soldiers, eight of whom were officers, mainly from the 83rd brigade, had left the ranks of renegade army general Laurent Nkunda, who was dismissed in 2004 after he led a revolt against the army claiming he was protecting his Tutsi people from persecution.

The 62 were among a group of dissidents who had fought the army in North Kivu Province in late November. The fighting led to the displacement of thousands of people towards the Ugandan border.

MONUC has said at least 4,000 militiamen have also been demobilised in other parts of the country, including some in Gemena in the Equateur Province, Bandundu Province, Matadi in Bas-Congo province, Mitwaba in Katanga province, Goma in North Kivu and Uvira in South Kivu.

However, the 4,000 have not yet been paid a demobilisation payment.

"The [good] progress of the DDR process greatly impacts on the improvement of general security in the DRC," Rancher said.

So far, the army's 14 brigades (about 49,000 men) out of an expected 18 brigades, have been integrated, accord