In order for its concerns to be addressed, Rebels from the M23 group have withdrawn their presence from villages in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Last week, the rebel group took control of around a dozen villages in Rutshuru territory in North Kivu province following clashes with government troops after several days of calm.
The M23 took the “decision to withdraw, once more, from its newly-won positions … to allow for its concerns to be addressed through open and fruitful dialogue with the government” of DR Congo, the group said on Sunday.
The M23 “never had the intention to capture areas to run them, our only motivation is the peaceful resolution of the crisis,” it added in a statement.
The M23 also said it intended “to hand over all (soldiers) from the national army captured on the frontline to the International Committee of the Red Cross for proper care.
The group was formed by former members of a Congolese Tutsi armed group that was once supported by Rwanda and Uganda.
The rebels had been incorporated into the Congolese army under a peace deal signed on March 23, 2009.
United Nations investigators have previously accused Rwanda and Uganda of supporting M23. The two countries, however, have denied this.
