Kenya’s former President Uhuru Kenyatta and Rwandan leader Paul Kagame have agreed on the need for M23 rebels to cease fire and withdraw from captured territories in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Mr. Kenyatta who is acting as a mediator to try to stop the conflict – has just returned from North Kivu where the M23 rebel group has launched several offensives this year displacing more than a quarter of a million people.

This week the conflict has escalated with the Congolese military attacking M23 positions using fighter jets and tanks.

This international push for a ceasefire brings some hope although much will depend on the outcome of regional peace talks which are due to begin in Kenya on Monday.

Years of fighting in eastern Congo have been fueled by the thirst for the region’s minerals.