Felix Tshisekedi of Congo had long said his country would not negotiate with the Rwanda-backed militia, making the joint agreement a rare bright spot in the conflict.

In a watershed joint statement, the warring Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 group released a joint statement on Wednesday pledging to an "immediate" cessation of  hostilities until talks reach

The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwandan-backed M23 rebels have agreed to halt fighting in the east of the country until peace talks mediated by Qatar reach their "conclusion". It is the latest truce since the rebels stepped up an offensive in eastern DR Congo where authorities say 7,000 people have been killed since January.