The surprise gathering in Qatar took place the same day planned talks were cancelled in Angola after M23 representatives pulled out of the meeting.

Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has brought together the leaders of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda in a “fruitful meeting” in an attempt to calm the situation in eastern DRC.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Amiri Diwan said Sheikh Tamim sat down with DRC’s President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame at the Lusail Palace in Doha.

“The Heads of State then agreed on the need to continue the discussions initiated in Doha in order to establish solid foundations for lasting peace as envisioned in the Luanda/Nairobi process,” the three countries said in a joint statement. 

Both leaders also thanked Qatar’s Amir for organising the “fruitful meeting, which helped build confidence in a shared commitment to a secure and stable future” for DRC and the region.

The discussions in Doha marked the first face-to-face meeting between the two presidents since rebels from the March 23rd Movement (M23) launched an offensive in eastern DRC where they captured the major cities of Goma and Bukavu.

DRC says more than 7,000 people have been killed in the territory since the beginning of the year.

The United States, the United Nations and DRC have long accused the M23 of being backed by Rwanda—claims that Kigali repeatedly denied.

Planned talks in Angola, which mediated the Luanda Roadmap in 2022, were cancelled on Tuesday after M23 representatives pulled out of the meeting. The last time the Congolese government and the M23 held talks was in 2013, according to AFP.

In January 2023, Qatar attempted to host peace talks between DRC and Rwanda to return them to the Luanda agreement as tensions soared.

The Qatari mediation efforts appeared to gain momentum last month, when Qatar’s Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, held separate meetings with DRC and Rwanda’s leaders in both countries. 

The meetings at the time focused on tensions in the Great Lakes region.

“Qatar reaffirms once again that dialogue is the optimal means for resolving disputes between countries[…]hoping that direct dialogue and constructive discussions will continue to achieve a bright future for the region,” Al-Khulaifi said in a post on X on Tuesday.