The government of the Central African Republic has signed a peace deal with the APRD rebel movement.

The political leader of the APRD, Jean-Jacques Demafouth, has agreed to an amnesty for the movement's fighters.

He has signed the peace document with Gabon's President Bongo Ondimba in the Gabonese capital Libreville.

The timetable for the disarmament process has yet to be agreed upon but, in the meantime, the rebels will be housed in camps, disarmed and will eventually be incorporated into the army.

The fate of former president Ange-Felix Patassé remains unclear.

Once the driving force behind the APRD, in 2006 he was sentenced in absentia to 20 years hard labour for his part in the rebel movement, after being ousted from power by the country's current leaders.