DR Congo'd M23 rebels have said they are ending their year-and-a-half-long rebellion, shortly after the military retook the last of their territory.

M23 president Bertrand Bisimwa said the group would try to resolve its grievances through "political means only."

He ordered rebel commanders to "prepare troops for the process of disarmament, demobilisation and social reintegration on terms to be agreed upon with the Congolese government."

The rebels were put on the back foot last month after Congolese soldiers backed by UN forces stepped up the campaign against them amid stalling peace talks.

They quickly recaptured half a dozen rebel-held cities and government spokesman Lambert Mende declared victory over the M23 today, boasting that the rebels' last two hills were back in state hands.

Mr Mende said about 100 rebels had been captured and that high-ranking members were on the run.

The UN has repeatedly accused Rwanda and Uganda of financially backing M23 and Mr Mende claimed that some rebel leaders had fled to the countries.

Although the pledge followed a heavy defeat, African leaders had agreed on Monday that the M23 should make "a public declaration renouncing rebellion" ahead of a formal peace deal, five days after the government accepted it.

But even a deal with the M23 would be unlikely to bring an end to the upheaval in the east.

Mr Mende warned: "Those who escaped can come with hit-and-run operations so we have to end everything politically so that we are sure our people can sleep quietly."

Army spokesman Colonel Olivier Hamuli promised to hunt down other armed groups in the mineral-rich region.

"We now speak to other armed groups to surrender because if they don't want to, then we will disarm them by force," he said.

At least 10 other groups operate in the eastern DR Congo, with the Rwandan Hutu FDLR now at the "top of the list" according to Mr Mende.