The presidents of Congo and Rwanda, Felix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame, held their first direct talks on Tuesday in Qatar following the takeover of two major cities in eastern Congo by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels earlier this year.
The meeting, mediated by Qatar’s ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, resulted in both nations reaffirming their commitment to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.
However, no clear implementation or monitoring plan was outlined.
A previous attempt at ceasefire talks collapsed after M23 rebels withdrew when the EU imposed sanctions on their leaders.
The ongoing conflict, which has displaced over seven million people, escalated further when the rebels seized Goma in January and Bukavu in February.
The U.N. has accused Rwanda of supporting the rebels with 4,000 troops, while human rights investigators are probing allegations of atrocities committed by both sides.
The Qatar-hosted talks were seen as informal trust-building efforts rather than a resolution to the crisis.