Rwanda-Backed Rebels Pull Out of Congo Talks Over EU Sanctions
Protestors demonstrate against Rwanda's role in the conflict in eastern Congo, in Brussels, on March 7.
Photographer: Timon Ramboer/AFP/Getty Images
The M23 rebel group behind the latest flare up of violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has pulled out of peace talks a day before they were due to start in Angola.
The Rwanda-backed militia’s decision followed European Union sanctions over three senior Rwandan military officials, five senior leaders of the M23, and a gold refinery announced earlier on Monday, as criticism grows of Kigali’s backing of the group that has seized two major Congolese cities.