DR Congo, M23 teams hold first talks in Qatar

A Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government delegation has met with Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in Qatar in a bid to halt fighting in the country's east, a source with knowledge of the talks said on Saturday.The M23 has taken control of large swathes of the DRC's eastern provinces of North and South Kivu since 2021 and captured their capitals Goma and Bukavu in a lightning offensive earlier this year."A discreet meeting was hosted by the Qataris in Doha last week between delegations from the government of DRC and the AFC/M23 movement, marking their first direct encounter in a long time," the source said."Further talks are now expected in Doha, again with the Qataris mediating, to sustain the momentum and explore constructive solutions to end the conflict peacefully."The source described the opening round of talks in late March as "positive", saying it had built "trust between the two sides that led to the withdrawal of M23 forces from the strategically important city of Walikale as a gesture of goodwill".The M23's rapid advance since January has resulted in thousands of deaths and forced hundreds of thousands more from their homes.The fighting has raised fears of a wider regional war.Earlier reports said that Kinshasa and M23 planned to hold their first direct talks in Doha on April 9. But the source with knowledge of the situation said private talks were also held last week.The April 9 talks are still expected to go ahead in Doha.Rwanda has denied backing M23.