Efforts to achieve a ceasefire collapsed last week after the rebels pulled out from talks being facilitated by Angola.

The country’s president offered a deal that would give the U.S. access to key minerals in return for a security pact that helps defeat the powerful M23 rebel force.

Rwanda-backed rebels battling Congo’s army have pushed into a strategic, mineral-rich town in the east, ignoring calls for a ceasefire this week by the Congolese and Rwandan presidents as the M23 rebel group expands its footprint in the conflict-torn African country.