Congo, M23 rebels hold first talks after months of conflict

Congo's government and M23 rebels last week held private talks in Qatar for the first time since the rebels conducted a lightning offensive in the country's east, a source briefed on the discussions told Reuters.

The talks, which will continue next week in Doha, offer the greatest hope of a halt to hostilities since M23 seized eastern Congo's two largest cities, a rapid advance that since January has resulted in thousands of deaths and forced hundreds of thousands more from their homes.