Democratic Republic of Congo is considering sending representatives to peace talks that Angola plans to host next week which would mark its first direct negotiations with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group,

Angolan President Joao Lourenco, the African Union’s peace mediator for the conflict in Congo, is pushing for direct talks between Kinshasa and M23 rebel group - Anadolu Ajansı

Angola has acted as a mediator in the conflict in eastern Congo , which escalated in late January when the Rwanda-backed rebels advanced and took control of the strategic eastern Congo city of Goma. M23 seized Bukavu, eastern Congo’s second biggest city, last month.

Angola said on Tuesday it would attempt to broker direct talks between Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in the coming days.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) government and the M23 rebel group will hold direct peace talks in Luanda, Angola’s capital, on March 18, the Angolan government announced late Wednesday. Angola’s Presidency confirmed the talks in a Facebook statement.

Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 rebels will engage in direct negotiations in the coming days to end the conflict in the country’s mineral-rich east, according to the presidency of Angola, which will mediate the talks.

Angola is advancing efforts to mediate the crisis in eastern DR Congo by facilitating direct negotiations between Kinshasa and the M23 rebel group. Following a meeting in Luanda, Angolan President João Lourenço announced plans to establish talks between the two sides to secure lasting peace.

Direct peace talks between the Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 rebels will begin in the Angolan capital on March 18, Angola's presidency said in a statement on Wednesday. The Southern African country has been trying to mediate a lasting ceasefire and de-escalate tensions between Congo and neighbouring Rwanda,