Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame called for a ceasefire in eastern Congo on Tuesday during their first meeting since M23 rebels stepped up an offensive there in January.
A joint statement issued along with Qatar, whose emir mediated the sit-down in Doha, said the ceasefire should be “immediate and unconditional”.
Neighbouring countries have been working to broker a ceasefire but an attempt to bring Congo’s government and M23 leaders together at a meeting in Angola on Tuesday failed when M23 pulled out on Monday afternoon.
At Tuesday’s meeting in Qatar, Tshisekedi and Kagame “agreed on the need to continue the discussions initiated in Doha in order to establish solid foundations for lasting peace,” the joint statement said.
A diplomat briefed on the talks said the meeting was “informal” and “not meant to replace any existing efforts.”
The conflict in east Congo is rooted in the fallout from Rwanda’s 1994 genocide and competition for mineral riches. It has spiralled since January, with thousands of people killed and hundreds of thousands forced from their homes.
The Gulf Arab state of Qatar has acted as a mediator in a number of conflicts, most recently working with Egypt and the U.S. to negotiate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, which broke down earlier on Tuesday.
