THE presidents of Congo and neighbouring Rwanda have met in Qatar for their first direct talks since the Rwanda-backed M23 militia seized two major cities in mineral-rich eastern Congo earlier this year.

The meeting took place between the Democratic Republic of Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi, Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar’s ruling emir, on Tuesday.

In a joint statement Congo and Rwanda reaffirmed their commitment to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, but offered no specifics on how that ceasefire would be implemented or monitored.