The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo signed an early-stage agreement Tuesday with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group, raising hopes for an eventual ceasefire. Talks between the warring parties have been brokered by Qatar, but broke down in August when the two sides missed a deadline for a final peace deal. An earlier agreement, signed on July 19, set Aug. 17 as the deadline for a final deal, which remains out of reach. M23 itself emerged from a failed peace deal forged roughly 16 years ago, which was never fully implemented.