A major peace meeting aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has collapsed before it even began. Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, who have been at the center of violent clashes in eastern Congo,

Democratic Republic of Congo will send a delegation to Angola on Tuesday for talks aiming to resolve a spiralling conflict against Rwandan-backed rebels in the east, the presidency said on Sunday. Angola said last week that direct peace talks between Congo and M23 rebels would begin in the Angolan capital Luanda on March 18.

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.