Congolese, Rwandan leaders meet in Qatar, call for ceasefire in eastern DRC

For the first time since the M23 rebels, which were supported by Rwanda, seized two significant cities in eastern DRC, President Felix Tshisekedi and President Paul Kagame of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) held direct talks.

The nations called for an “immediate ceasefire” in eastern DRC in a joint statement released with Qatar, whose emir mediated the discussions in Doha.

The Heads of State then “remained in agreement” that the talks must continue in Doha to lay the groundwork for a lasting peace, according to the statement.

Rwanda has denied that it supports the M23 rebels, accusing the DRC of sending weapons and troops there.

Following the European Union’s sanctions against some of the group’s senior members, including leader Bertrand Bisimwa, M23 representatives pulled out of a&nbsp’s planned meeting with the DRC government in Angola on Tuesday.

The sanctions “seriously compromise direct dialogue and prevent any advance,” M23 said in a statement.

In addition, the EU imposed sanctions on the country’s mining agency chief and three Rwandan military commanders for their support of the M23 fighters.

In January, the rebels seized Goma, a crucial city in eastern DRC, before escalating to Bukavu in February.

About 100 armed organizations have been vying for control in the mineral-rich eastern DRC near the Rwandan border. M23 is one of them. More than 7 million people have been displaced as a result of the conflict, which has become one of the most important humanitarian crises in history.