Congo has accused Rwanda of backing M23 rebels in its mineral-rich eastern region across the border with Rwanda.

Officials from Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have reached a draft agreement aimed at ending decades of conflict. The breakthrough, mediated by the US and Qatar, provides for the "disengagement, disarmament and conditional integration" of armed groups fighting in eastern DR Congo.

A U.S.-Qatar-mediated peace agreement between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda was expected to bring an end to a decades-long cross-border conflict in central Africa when it goes into effect next week.