News brief

Progress for Congo: Talks between the leaders of Congo and Rwanda were held in Qatar, raising hopes of a shift in a conflict that has dogged the Democratic Republic of Congo for 30 years. Both governments committed to working toward a ceasefire. Direct talks between Congo and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels had been planned for March 18 in Angola. But M23 backed away, citing international sanctions on rebel leaders. The conflict, often framed primarily as a struggle over Congo’s mineral resources, is also bound up in identity and territory.