Leaders from Africa's Great Lakes region have met in a renewed effort to end fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo between the armed forces and M23 militants.
DRC leader Joseph Kabila met with his rival, Rwanda President Paul Kagame, during Thursday's meeting in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, which was organized under the International Conference on the Great Lakes region.
The French news agency reports that rebels from the M23 movement say they are ready to resume talks with the Congolese government. It quotes rebel leader Bertrand Bisimwa saying that M23 delegates are already in Kampala and that they are ready to negotiate as soon as the request has been passed on by the mediator.
M23 briefly took control of the eastern Congo city of Goma last year and still controls parts of North Kivu province. The group is made up of former rebels who were integrated into the Congolese army in a 2009 peace agreement, but later deserted after complaining of discrimination and poor treatment.
Last month the United Nations, which has a large peacekeeping operation in Congo, recently deployed an "Intervention Brigade" to fight rebel groups in the east and help stabilize the volatile region.
DRC leader Joseph Kabila met with his rival, Rwanda President Paul Kagame, during Thursday's meeting in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, which was organized under the International Conference on the Great Lakes region.
The French news agency reports that rebels from the M23 movement say they are ready to resume talks with the Congolese government. It quotes rebel leader Bertrand Bisimwa saying that M23 delegates are already in Kampala and that they are ready to negotiate as soon as the request has been passed on by the mediator.
M23 briefly took control of the eastern Congo city of Goma last year and still controls parts of North Kivu province. The group is made up of former rebels who were integrated into the Congolese army in a 2009 peace agreement, but later deserted after complaining of discrimination and poor treatment.
Last month the United Nations, which has a large peacekeeping operation in Congo, recently deployed an "Intervention Brigade" to fight rebel groups in the east and help stabilize the volatile region.