The M23 armed rebel group has said it will agree to a ceasefire with government forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) under certain conditions.
A statement issued on Friday by the president of the M23 rebel group, Bertrand Bisimwa, said that direct dialogue with the government in Kinshasa was a key precondition for a ceasefire.
He also said the rebels would continue to reserve the right to self-defence and take up arms in the event of "advances" by the government to defend civilians.
Since the end of October, violence between the two sides has escalated in eastern Congo.
M23 consists of former soldiers of the Congolese army who defected and formed the rebel group in 2012.
According to the US, about 130 different armed groups are active in eastern DRC; many of them are fighting for control of valuable mineral resources.
On Wednesday, the heads of state of several East African states had agreed in the Angolan capital Luanda on a joint peace process in eastern DRC.
Representatives of the M23 rebels were not invited to the talks.
The rebels therefore initially did not recognize the results of the summit.
