The Democratic Republic of Congo government and the M23 rebel group are to hold direct peace talks on 18 March, Angola said Wednesday. A statement from Angolan President João Lourenço’s office said they would begin “peace negotiations” in the Angolan capital,

Angola has acted as a mediator in the conflict in eastern Congo, which escalated in late January when the Rwanda-backed rebels advanced and took control of the strategic eastern Congo city of Goma. In February, M23 seized Bukavu, eastern Congo’s second biggest city.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) government and the M23 rebel group will hold direct peace talks in Luanda, Angola’s capital, on March 18, the Angolan government announced late Wednesday. Angola’s Presidency confirmed the talks in a Facebook statement.