Rwanda-backed M23 rebels said on Monday that they had withdrawn from planned peace talks aimed at resolving a spiralling conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo after the EU imposed sanctions on its leader and on Rwandan army commanders.

The AFC/M23 rebels have confirmed that they are sending a delegation of five members to Luanda, Angola for direct negotiations with the DR Congo government, scheduled for Tuesday, March 18.

Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 rebels will engage in direct negotiations in the coming days to end the conflict in the country’s mineral-rich east, according to the presidency of Angola, which will mediate the talks.

The presidents of Rwanda and DR Congo met Tuesday in Qatar and expressed their support for a ceasefire, a joint statement said, a day after peace talks in Angola failed. The Rwanda-backed M23 armed group launched a massive offensive in the mineral-rich east of the DRC earlier this year, taking two major cities.

The presidents of Congo and neighboring Rwanda have met in Qatar for their first direct talks since Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seized two major cities in mineral-rich eastern Congo earlier this year