Qatar has been mediating peace talks to end the conflict between the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group and the Congolese army in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his Congolese counterpart, Felix Tshisekedi, met with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Tuesday in the Qatari capital, Doha.

According to a joint statement released by Qatar's Foreign Ministry after the talks, the two African presidents reaffirmed their commitment to an "immediate and unconditional" ceasefire. However, it was not clear how that would be implemented or monitored, as no immediate resolutions were announced.

It was the first meeting at which both presidents had sat face to face at the negotiating table since the M23 rebels seized the key Congolese cities of Goma and Bukavu in January and February.

Beverly Ochieng, a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Africa Program, pointed out that Qatar has a good track record when it comes to brokering peace deals.

She told DW that earlier peace efforts by the

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