Talks aimed at ending fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Sunday opened in the Ugandan capital Kampala with warring parties, government and M23 rebels committing themselves to peace.

DRC's foreign minister Raymond Tshibanda is heading the government side while M23's Executive Secretary Francois Rucogoza is heading the rebel side in the Ugandan mediated talks.

Tshibanda told the opening meeting that was attended by among others Congolese Civil Society Organizations that his delegations comes to the talks with the sole aim of the rebellion in the region ending.

He said the suffering of people in eastern DRC must end.

Rucogoza accused the Congolese government of committing extrajudicial killings, ethnic cleansing and the poor governance that has led to the under development of the mineral rich country.

Tshibanda requested the mediator, Uganda's Minister of Defense Crispus Kiyonga to respond to the allegations made by the M23 threatening not to return to the talks unless given the same opportunity.

Kiyonga told the Congolese government delegation that they would be given the same opportunity as soon as the talks resume.

He said the regional and international community is interested in the talks that are seen as a lasting solution to the fighting.

"The dialogue that is starting today gives hope to the people of the DRC, the people in the region and the international community. There is now a great opportunity to find a sustainable political solution to the conflict between the government and the M23," he said.

He proposed that the talks will be held in Kampala and later in Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu, eastern DRC.

The talks were scheduled to start on Friday but were delayed to today without clear explanation.

Although these are not the first face-to-face talks between the rebels and government, they are a signal of the Great Lakes region' s efforts to end the fighting that has internally displaced over 475,000 people and forced over 75,000 others to flee to neighboring Rwanda and Uganda.

Uganda has since July been heading regional efforts under the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, a regional body bringing together 11 member states, to end the fighting.