Angola announced last week that it will begin mediating direct ceasefire negotiations between the militants and DR Congo officials on March 18. “At this stage, we can’t say who will make up the delegation,” Tina Salama, spokesperson at the DR Congo presidency said, according to Reuters.

Rwanda-backed M23 rebels said on Monday that they had withdrawn from planned peace talks aimed at resolving a spiralling conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo after the EU imposed sanctions on its leader and on Rwandan army commanders.

Democratic Republic of Congo will send a delegation to Angola on Tuesday for talks aiming to resolve a spiralling conflict against Rwandan-backed rebels in the east, the presidency said on Sunday. Angola said last week that direct peace talks between Congo and M23 rebels would begin in the Angolan capital Luanda on March 18.