LUANDA - An Angola-brokered ceasefire in eastern DR Congo (DRC) continues to earn international backing, and has been endorsed by top international diplomats including US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. The United Nations has also voiced its support for the deal. The ceasefire, agreed to on Tuesday in Luanda between the Congolese army, FARDC, and the M23 rebels, is scheduled to begin at midnight on Aug. 4, according to Angola’s minister of external relations. More than 2,500 people were killed in the conflict last year, and millions have been displaced.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the US State Department “welcomed” the ceasefire, adding that it was “ready to support” its implementation and monitoring. The Luanda agreement was the second such eastern DRC ceasefire brokered in recent weeks. Last month, the US announced that it had secured a commitment from parties for a two-week cessation of hostilities to facilitate humanitarian aid. The UN said it hoped the ceasefire would help create “conditions for de-escalation of tensions between the DRC and Rwanda and enable the safe return of those internally displaced to their homes.”