Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame called for a ceasefire in eastern Congo on Tuesday during their first meeting since M23 rebels stepped up an offensive there in January.

The meeting between Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame to discuss the insurgency was mediated by Qatar, the three governments said in a statement. The state-run Qatar News Agency published an image of the two African leaders meeting with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the energy-rich nation's ruling emir.

Qatar has acted as a mediator in several conflicts, most recently working with Egypt and the US to negotiate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.