Angola's president says the negotiations to end ongoing hostilities, which have killed thousands, will begin next week

Peace talks between the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) and M23 rebels will begin on March 18, Angola announced on Wednesday, as it attempts to mediate a long-term ceasefire in the conflict-torn Central African nation.

The negotiations will take place in Angola's capital, Luanda, the office of the country's president, Joao Goncalves Lourenco, said in a statement. The decision came a day after Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi visited Luanda to discuss the ongoing hostilities in eastern DR Congo with his Angolan counterpart, who is also the current chair of the African Union.

Violence escalated in the resource-rich country's eastern provinces in January, with fighters from the M23 group seizing several key cities, including North Kivu capital Goma and Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu. Last week, Kinshasa's Health Ministry reported that more than 8,500 people have been killed this year.

The DR Congo has repeatedly accused neighboring Rwanda of backing the militants, claims that have been echoed by some Western countries. Rwanda has consistently denied the allegations.

Congolese authorities had previously refused to hold talks with the rebels, and Angola-mediated peace efforts were halted last December after Rwanda demanded that Kinshasa engage directly with the M23. Earlier this month, Congolese Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka told the BBC that her government would only negotiate with Rwanda, which is the "aggressor of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Democratic Republic of Congo." 

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On Wednesday, Tina Salama, spokesperson for Congolese President Tshisekedi, told Reuters that the government had received an invitation from Angola but had not confirmed whether it would participate in the dialogue.

In response, Bertrand Bisimwa, an M23 leader, said dialogue is "the only civilized option to resolve the current crisis that has lasted for decades."

"We are committed to defeating Mr. Tshisekedi's military option and bringing him, willingly or by force, to the negotiating table," he wrote on X.

Meanwhile, the US is reportedly exploring a deal with the former Belgian colony to access its natural resources in exchange for American security assistance amid the escalating conflict.