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DAKAR, Senegal (AP) \u2014 The government of Congo will hold peace talks next week in Angola with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group<\/a> that has captured key areas of Congo\u2019s mineral-rich east, mediator Angola announced Wednesday.<\/p>\n A statement from Angolan President Jo\u00e3o Louren\u00e7o’s office said the parties would begin \u201cdirect peace negotiations\u201d in the Angolan capital, Luanda, on March 18.<\/p>\n Angola has acted as a mediator in the conflict in eastern Congo<\/a>, which escalated in late January when the Rwanda-backed rebels advanced and took control of the strategic eastern Congo city of Goma. In February, M23 seized Bukavu<\/a>, eastern Congo’s second biggest city.<\/p>\n See for yourself \u2014 The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Congo President Felix Tshisekedi<\/a> was in Angola this past Tuesday to discuss the possibility of peace talks.<\/p>\n \u201cFollowing the diligence carried out by Angolan mediation in the conflict affecting the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the Government of the Republic of Angola makes public that delegations from the Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 will begin direct peace negotiations, on March 18, in the city of Luanda,\u201d Louren\u00e7o\u2019s office said in a statement on Wednesday.<\/p>\n There was no immediate comment from the Congolese government on Wednesday.<\/p>\n \u201cWe acknowledge and look forward to the implementation of this Angolan mediation initiative,\u201d Tina Salama, the spokesperson for President Tshisekedi said on social media on Tuesday.<\/p>\n The announcement comes after several canceled<\/a> peace talks hosted by Angola that had previously excluded M23 and instead focused on their Rwandan backers.<\/p>\n M23 is one of about 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo near the border with Rwanda, in a conflict that has created one of the world\u2019s most significant humanitarian crises. More than 7 million people have been displaced.<\/p>\n The rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda, according to U.N. experts, and at times have vowed to march as far as Congo\u2019s capital, Kinshasa, over 1,000 miles away.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n AP Africa news: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/africa<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\nTrusted news and daily delights, right in your inbox<\/h3>\n