The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels are to hold direct peace talks next week, 18 March, mediator Angola has announced.

A statement from Angolan President João Lourenço’s office said they would begin “peace negotiations” in the Angolan capital, Luanda.

Angola has acted as a mediator in the conflict in eastern Congo, which escalated in late January.

A lightning advance by the Rwanda-backed rebels saw them take control of the strategic eastern Congo city of Goma, seizing the region’s second biggest city, Bukavu, last month.

Congo President Felix Tshisekedi has previously refused to engage directly with the M23.

The announcement comes after several cancelled peace talks hosted by Angola that had previously excluded M23 and instead focused on their Rwandan backers.

Kigali denies assisting the Tutsi-led rebel group, but United Nations experts say the M23 is supported by about 4,000 troops from neighbouring Rwanda.

The armed group is one of about 100 vying for a foothold in the mineral-rich eastern DRC.

The ongoing conflict has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, displacing more than seven million people.

Africanews/Shakirat Sadiq