(Reuters) -Rwanda-backed M23 rebels pressed on with their offensive in eastern Congo a day after the Congolese and Rwandan presidents called for an immediate ceasefire, entering the outskirts of the town Walikale late on Wednesday,

Rwanda has denied supporting M23. It says its military has been acting in self defence against Congo’s army and a militia founded by some of the perpetrators of the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

Congo’s government says it will participate in peace talks in Angola with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group that has captured key areas of Congo’s mineral-rich east

The resurgence of Rwanda-backed insurgents in eastern Congo has reignited a decades-old conflict over ethnic rivalries, mineral wealth, and political representation.

The presidents of Congo and neighboring Rwanda have met in Qatar for their first direct talks since Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seized two major cities in mineral-rich eastern Congo earlier this year

In a surprise announcement from Qatar Tuesday the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda jointly called for a cease-fire in an effort to end warfare between them after 30 years of fighting.