Direct peace talks between the Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 rebels will begin in the Angolan capital on March 18, Angola's presidency said in a statement on Wednesday.

Kabila did not make any public statements on the crisis or respond to the accusation until he published an op-ed in a South African newspaper on February 23 that accused Tshisekedi of violating the constitution, committing human rights abuses and bringing Congo to the brink of civil war.

M23 is one of about 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo near the border with Rwanda, in a conflict that has created one of the world