The European Union sanctioned nine people and a gold refinery on Monday in connection with a Rwanda-backed rebellion in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a day before peace talks scheduled in Angola between M23 rebels and the Congolese government.

Congo's government will participate in peace talks in Angola on Tuesday with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group that has captured key areas of Congo’s mineral-rich east, a spokesperson said Monday.

The European Union on Monday sanctioned nine people, including the leader of Congo's M23 rebel movement and Rwandan army officers, in connection with violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a publication in the official EU Journal showed.

Congo's government and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels are set to engage in peace talks in Angola. The conflict, which has displaced over 7 million people, has escalated with significant international involvement.

Germany’s development ministry says it will suspend new financial commitments to Rwanda over that country's alleged support of the M23 rebels in neighboring eastern Congo.

The UN and international powers accuse Rwanda of providing arms and sending soldiers to fight with the M23 rebels.

The European Union has imposed sanctions on nine individuals and a gold refinery connected to a Rwanda-supported rebellion in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The move comes as both sides prepare for peace talks in Angola.

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

Democratic Republic of Congo will send a delegation to Angola on Tuesday for talks aiming to resolve a spiralling conflict against Rwandan-backed rebels in the east, the presidency said on Sunday. Angola said last week that direct peace talks between Congo and M23 rebels would begin in the Angolan capital Luanda on March 18.

Angolan President João Lourenço, currently chair of the African Union, has called for an immediate ceasefire in the ongoing conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). President Lourenço on Saturday called for a ceasefire ahead of peace talks he will be hosting.