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.

The presidents of Congo and neighboring Rwanda have met in Qatar for their first direct talks since Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seized two major cities in mineral-rich eastern Congo earlier this year.

Belgium, Rwanda’s former colonial ruler, pushed for the European Union to impose sanction against Rwandan officials over their role in invading eastern Congo and plundering its mineral wealth.

The M23 rebel group fighting to control eastern Congo wants sanctions against its members lifted before it joins talks that were scheduled to begin today.

The Rwanda-backed rebels who captured key areas of Congo’s mineral-rich east say they have withdrawn from planned peace talks with the country’s government in Angola

A major peace meeting aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has collapsed before it even began. Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, who have been at the center of violent clashes in eastern Congo,