What have the Sierra rebels and pro - government militiamen done under an agreem

Sierra Leone’s rebels and pro -government militia- men have begun handing over their weapons to U. N. peacekeepers under an agreement to end recent fighting.
     U.N. officials say the process has begun in two districts--Kambia and Port Loko. The United Nations says about one- thousand rebels of the Revolutionary United Front and another one thousand militia members are located in the areas.
     Meanwhile, U.N. officials say some 250 Bangladeshi peacekeepers have deployed in the heart of rebel territory in the east of the country.
     The disarmament deal follows a peace agreement Tuesday between the rebels and the pro - government Civilian Defense Force, made up of ethnic Kamajors.
     The Kamajor fighters had attacked rebel positions in northern and eastern Sierra Leone in recent weeks, prompt- ing U.N. calls for peace.
     Tuesday’s talks were also aimed at consolidating last November’s troubled peace deal between the rebels and the government.
     R - U - F rebels have fought government forces for the past 10 years in a conflict centering on control of Sierra Leone’s diamond - mining areas.  The rebels have become notorious for killing and maiming thousands of civilians.