The Rwandan-backed M23 rebels and the Democratic Republic of Congo government have signed a framework for peace in eastern Rwanda.
The event was held in Qatar, which has been mediating with the United States and the African Union to end decades of conflict in the resource-rich region.
Earlier this year, the M23 captured Goma and Bukavu, the main cities in the eastern region. Previous attempts to secure peace had failed.
Massad Boulos, the US envoy for Africa, said the document covered eight protocols, most of which still needed work. He also acknowledged that prisoner exchanges and ceasefire monitoring were slower than originally hoped.
Kinshasa is demanding that Rwandan troops withdraw from its territory.
Kigali said this could happen if the Congo-based FDLR rebel militia is disbanded. They are primarily made up of Hutus, who were linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
The new framework also addresses humanitarian access, return of displaced people and protection of the judiciary, Boulous said, according to the AFP agency.
It builds on a declaration of principles signed by both sides in Doha in July and an agreement signed in the same city last month on monitoring the final ceasefire.
Before that, Washington-brokered talks in June between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo resulted in a peace deal that U.S. President Donald Trump praised as a “glorious victory” but was quickly violated by the warring parties.
The M23 is one of the largest parties to the conflict but was not directly involved in the US-brokered ceasefire agreement. Qatar has always favored Qatar-mediated talks, saying it would address the “root causes” of the conflict.
In January, M23 rebels took control of much of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, including the regional capital Goma, the city of Bukavu and two airports, escalating decades of conflict.
Since January, thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands of civilians have been driven from their homes.
After losing territory, the Kinshasa government turned to the United States for help, reportedly offering access to critical minerals in exchange for security guarantees. Eastern DR Congo is rich in coltan and other resources vital to the global electronics industry.
Rwanda denies supporting the M23 despite overwhelming evidence and insists its military presence in the region is a defensive measure against threats from armed groups such as the FDLR.
