Congo ? A warlord in eastern Congo has agreed to stop fighting government forces in exchange for a government promise not to pursue war crimes charges against him, the army said Wednesday.

Under the deal, renegade warlord Laurent Nkunda would also go into exile and his troops would be integrated into the national army, a process that has already begun, said Col. Delphin Kahindi, a top army commander responsible for east Congo’s lawless North Kivu province.

Nkunda, who commands thousands of troops, has been accused of war crimes for years. New York-based Human Rights Watch has urged the government and U.N. peacekeepers deployed in the mineral-rich nation to arrest Nkunda, but the government has taken little action.

Kahindi said the deal had been made two weeks ago during a meeting with Nkunda that was mediated by officials from neighboring Rwanda. Wednesday marked the first time the agreement was implemented, with two battalions of soldiers loyal to Nkunda beginning to rejoin the army in two locations.