Congo’s government says it will participate in peace talks in Angola with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group that has captured key areas of Congo’s mineral-rich east

President Felix Tshisekedi, who has long ruled out dialogue with M23, considered changing his position after a string of defeats as regional support for Congo has waned.

The M23 rebels on Monday continued their offensive in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo ahead of direct peace talks with the Congolese government in Angola, according to local media. The fighting approached the territorial capital of Walikale in the eastern province of North Kivu, Congolese news website Actualite reported.

Angolan President João Lourenço, currently chair of the African Union, has called for an immediate ceasefire in the ongoing conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). President Lourenço on Saturday called for a ceasefire ahead of peace talks he will be hosting.

Rwanda-backed M23 rebels said on Monday they would send a delegation to peace talks with Democratic Republic of Congo's government that are expected to begin on Tuesday in Angola's capital.