(CNN) -- The Ugandan government has signed a cease-fire with a rebel group to end a 22-year war that has killed thousands of people and displaced more than 1 million.
Rebel leader Joseph Kony, seen in 2006, has tried to overthrow the Ugandan government.
The deal, which was signed Saturday, came one day after members of the Lord's Resistance Army walked out of the talks. The rebel group was at odds with Ugandan officials over demands for government positions.
The cease-fire will go into effect once the two sides sign a comprehensive peace deal. Both sides expect the deal to be completed by the end of the week.
The Associated Press reported that government negotiators expect a peace deal by Friday, and the cease-fire will take effect within 24 hours.
"Today this is a landmark toward peace in our country," said rebel negotiator David Matsanga. "Our people have yearned for that peace for the past 22 years."
The two sides have been negotiating for more than a year to end the rebellion that began in 1986 when President Yoweri Museveni came to power.
The government and the rebels agreed to a cessation of hostilities in August 2006. Though there have been outbursts of fighting, the United Nations struck an optimistic tone last month regarding the potential peace deal.
"Peace talks have raised expectations that up to 500,000 of the 1.3 million IDPs [internally displaced people] created by 20 years of war could go home in 2008." according to a U.N. news release.
Last week, the two sides reached agreements on how to prosecute alleged war crimes and on how the government will rehabilitate war-ravaged areas, AP reported. The latter initiative includes ensuring people in the hardest-hit regions will have opportunities to fill government posts, according to AP.
Both sides still need to decide how to demobilize the rebels and integrate them into the the Ugandan army, negotiators told CNN.
The Lord's Resistance Army -- led by Joseph Kony, who claims spiritual powers -- sought to overthrow the Ugandan government, demanding the constitution be replaced with a version of the Ten Commandments.
The rebel group, which the U.S. State Department describes as "vicious and cult-like," has been known for its unpredictable behavior.
Local villagers and international human rights groups have accused the rebels of committing widespread abuses, including recruiting children as soldiers and mutilating their victims.
In October 2005, the International Criminal Court unsealed arrest warrants for five Lord's Resistance Army commanders, including Kony, who is alleged to have "ordered LRA forces to begin a campaign of attacks against civilians in Uganda" in 2002, according to the court.
The 33 counts against Kony included 21 counts of war crimes. Charges also included sexual enslavement, rape, inducing rape, directing attacks against civilians and forced enlisting of children to fight, according to a news release from the court. E-mail to a friend
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All About Uganda • Lord's Resistance Army
On Saturday, the Ugandan government signed a permanent  with the , a self-proclaimed Christian guerilla army which has been rebelling against the government in one of Africa's longest running conflicts.

The ceasefire will not take effect until the day after both sides sign a comprehensive peace deal, which is expected to be completed later this week. Rebels and government officials hailed the event as a step towards the end of the two-decade long war. 

"Today this is a landmark toward peace in our country," said David Matsanga, one of the rebels involved in the negotiations. "Our people have yearned for that peace for the past 22 years." Chris Magezi, spokesman for the government delegation, called the agreement "another major breakthrough".

The signing was presided over by Riek Machar, vice president of southern Sudan. It was the latest development in the ongoing  being held in Juba since July 2006. In August 2006, the two sides agreed to a cessation of hostilities. 

According to the terms of the deal, the Lord's Resistance Army will be prohibited from recruiting or rearming soldiers, and they will not be able to travel beyond a temporary assembly area in southern Sudan. The assembly area will be guarded by Sudanese troops.

The only item remaining on the agenda for negotiators is the demobilization of the rebels and their integration into the Ugandan army, an issue which is expected to be dealt with quickly. However, United Nations envoy Joaquim Chissano warned, "Let us not be obfuscated by this joy. We must see clearly a way to complete peace."

The Lord's Resistance Army is a group which aims to establish a  government in Uganda. In 1986, they revolted against the government and began a conflict which has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced over 2 million. The group is also accused of human rights violations, including mutilating their victims and recruiting children as soldiers.