 Dozens of militia fighters in the Democratic Republic of Congo have laid down their weapons and surrendered. The first to do so since President Felix Cichicady announced martial law to tackle worst insecurity in two eastern provinces. Around 140 men from various local armed groups sang and clapped as they handed themselves in to authorities during a ceremony in Congo's North Kivu province on Monday. Around 70 weather-beaten weapons, mostly rifles, were also turned in. Congo's mineral reach east has been convulsed with conflict since the official end to the country's Second Civil War in 2003. More than 120 armed groups are now fighting for control of the region's land and natural resources. Cichicady declared a state of siege in early May in response to a two-year surge in violence across the region. More deadly attacks have increased since then according to data collected by the Kivu security tracker which maps some rest in the region.