Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have agreed to refrain from providing state military support to each other’s non-state armed groups within and across their borders, in a declaration of principles signed under the auspices of a US-brokered agreement on Friday.

Felix Tshisekedi of Congo had long said his country would not negotiate with the Rwanda-backed militia, making the joint agreement a rare bright spot in the conflict.

The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwandan-backed M23 rebels have agreed to halt fighting in the east of the country until peace talks mediated by Qatar reach their "conclusion". It is the latest truce deal since the rebels stepped up an offensive in eastern DR Congo where authorities say 7,