Rebel groups in eastern Congo have rejected a cease-fire agreement brokered by Angola between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.
The March 23 Movement (M23) and the Congo River Alliance (AFC) claimed they were excluded from the Tuesday talks that led to the deal.
In a joint statement, the rebel factions, reportedly backed by 3,000 soldiers and an additional 4,000 Rwandan forces according to a UN report, insisted that the agreement does not bind them.
The groups are under the command of Corneille Nangae, a former head of Congo’s electoral commission.
The recent escalation of violence in eastern Congo has strained relations between Kinshasa and Kigali.
Congo has repeatedly accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebels, a charge Rwanda has consistently denied.
Angolan President Joao Lourenco, tasked by the African Union to mediate the crisis, hosted a ministerial meeting in Luanda on Tuesday.
The meeting resulted in a new cease-fire deal set to take effect on August 4. An international monitoring mechanism is to be established to oversee the implementation of the agreement.
Meanwhile, the Congolese army reported killing at least 20 ADF militants in the eastern province of Ituri.