M23 accept conditional ceasefire, want talks with DRC government

Thousands of people have also been displaced as DRC’s army has struggled to stop the M23’s advance [File: Goran Tomasevic/Reuters]

There has been a pause in fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, after confrontations on Friday between Congolese troops and M23 rebels, as the armed group conditionally agreed to a ceasefire.

However, M23, which is waging its most serious offensive in eastern DRC since 2012, has rejected calls by East African leaders to disarm and withdraw from land they have taken. They also want to talk directly with the government in Kinshasa.