A U.N.-mediated peace deal aimed at ending two decades of conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo was signed on Sunday by leaders of Africa's Great Lakes region in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

African leaders failed to sign the pact last month due to concerns over who would command a new regional force that will deploy in eastern Congo and take on armed groups operating in the region.

Leaders from Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo Republic and South Sudan were present at the signing, alongside U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

(Reporting by Aaron Maasho; Editing by George Obulutsa and Janet Lawrence)