THe deputy defence minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo warned Wednesday that all violations by rebel groups of a ceasefire deal signed in July would be severely punished. “Under today’s conditions, fresh guerrilla activities will cost their perpetrators dearly,” said General Dieudonne Kayembe during a meeting with reporters and diplomats to discuss alleged violations of the agreement struck in Lusaka in July. The accord was signed by DRC President Laurent Kabila, his allies in Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia, as well as the Uganda-backed Congo Liberation Movement (MLC), Uganda and Rwanda, which backs another rebel group that eventually signed the accord in late August. The general said Kabila’s government would end the armed struggle if rebels retreated from DRC soil. “We are not a warring government. We know our people want peace. They have suffered a lot,” Kayembe said.