(Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo
will start talks next week aimed at easing a political standoff in the
capital and ending remote rebellions, with the leader of neighbouring
Congo Republic taking some form of mediating role.DRC's last major war ended a decade ago, but localised rebellions, as well as rampant corruption, have hamstrung efforts to rebuild the vast former Belgian colony, a target for billions of dollars of foreign investment.
As well as the "M23" rebellion near the border with Rwanda in the east, and one in the in the Katangan copper belt in the south, political tensions have simmered in the capital Kinshasa, in the west, since President Joseph Kabila's 2011 re-election in a vote the opposition says was riddled by fraud.
Now, the political opposition will take part in talks with the government, rebel groups and civil society, after Congo Republic's president, Denis Sassou Nguesso, agreed to "accompany" the process, although his role and the scope of the discussions are yet to be clarified.
