Rwanda, along with Uganda, has been backing rebels in their two-and-a-half year conflict with the Congolese government in Kinshasa.

Angola, Namibia and Zimbabwe are backing the DR Congo governemnt in the war.

UN plan

On 22 February the UN Security Council said that all the warring parties should pull back 15 km from frontlines by 15 March.

Uganda has also been withdrawing its troops and some are returning home to Uganda.

UN Brigadier-General Njuki Mwaniki said that he is very optimistic about the prospects for peace.

"After visiting all capitals and speaking to leaders of various [rebel] movements, I am convinced that a genuine commitment to peace exists," he said.

A peace agreement was signed in the Zambian capital Lusaka in 1999 but has not, until now, been implemented.

Hopes high

Since Joseph Kabila assumed power, following the assassination of his father, hopes have risen that the stalled peace process could be reactivated.

The United Nations has been monitoring the withdrawal

Both Rwanda and Uganda say they are withdrawing their troops to show that they are serious about peace.

Ugandan army commander, Major-General Jeje Odongo, told the BBC that the troops were being brought back home because of what he described as the positive attitude of Joseph Kabila.

But Rwanda has vowed to return if their rebel allies, the Congolese Rally for Democracy, come under government attack.