Congo, M23 rebels to hold direct dialogue in Qatar

The Conglese government and M23 rebels are expected to hold direct talks on April 9 in the Qatari capital.

The meeting in Doha would be the first between the two sides since the rebels backed by Rwanda captured two provincial capitals in eastern Congo.

An earlier meeting planned in Angola on March 18 was aborted after M23 pulled out at the last minute protesting European Union sanctions on its leaders.

Until March, Kinshasa had dismissed the suggestion of holding direct dialogue with the rebels it considers a proxy force of Rwanda.

In mid March, Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame held a surprise meeting in Doha.

Qatar has since hosted Congolese government and rebel delegations separately, Reuters reported on Monday.