Angola to act as mediator in peace talks between Congo and M23 rebels

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) - Angola on Tuesday announced plans to act as a mediator in the conflict between Congo and the Rwandan-backed rebel group M23, according to a press release posted on the official page of the Angolan president's office.

Felix Tshisekedi, the president of Congo, was in Angola to discuss a potential peace process. According to the press release, Angola will begin to establish contacts with both the Congolese government and M23 rebels with direct negotiations to be carried out in the coming days.

The announcement comes after several canceled peace talks hosted by Angola that had previously excluded M23 and instead focused on their Rwandan backers.

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's most significant humanitarian crises. More than 7 million people have been displaced.

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's capital, Kinshasa, over 1,000 miles away.

In a lightning three-week offensive, the M23 took control of eastern Congo's main city Goma and seized the second largest city, Bukavu, last month.

The U.N. Human Rights Council last month launched a commission that will investigate atrocities, including allegations of rape and killing akin to "summary executions" by both sides.