Congo and Rwanda-backed rebels on Saturday signed a declaration of principles in Qatar to end decades-long fighting in eastern Congo that commits them to a permanent ceasefire and a comprehensive peace agreement to be signed in one month.

Former Democratic Republic of Congo president Joseph Kabila went on trial in absentia Friday on charges including treason over his alleged support for Rwanda-backed militants. The trial of Kabila, who returned to live in Goma in May this year,

A recent ceasefire agreed between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, set to take effect this week, ranks as a tentative step towards peace in the country's conflict-wracked east.

US President Donald Trump is expected to host the leaders of DR Congo and Rwanda - Félix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame - in the coming weeks to seal a peace agreement that he has hailed as a "glorious triumph", hoping to back it up with deals that will boost US investment in the region.

The declaration establishes a ceasefire in eastern Congo and addresses M23 rebel withdrawal from seized territories.

The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda-backed armed group M23 signed a ceasefire deal Saturday to end fighting that has devastated the country's mineral-rich but conflict-torn east.

The treason trial of the former president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Joseph Kabila, has begun in a military court in the capital, Kinshasa.

The United States cutting short Gaza ceasefire talks this week plunges one of President Donald Trump's pushes to solve global conflicts into new uncertainty.

Congo and Rwanda-backed rebels sign a declaration of principles for a permanent ceasefire in eastern Congo.