(Reuters) -Rwanda-backed M23 rebels pressed deeper into Congolese territory a day after Congo and Rwanda's presidents called for an immediate ceasefire, entering the outskirts of the town of Walikale late on Wednesday,

The seizure of the town of around 60,000 people marks the farthest west the anti-government group has advanced into the DRC's interior since it emerged in 2012.

The Rwanda-backed rebels who captured key areas of Congo’s mineral-rich east say they have withdrawn from planned peace talks with the country’s government in Angola.

Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame called for a ceasefire in eastern Congo on Tuesday during their first meeting since M23 rebels stepped up an offensive there in January.

The presidents of Congo and neighboring Rwanda have met in Qatar for their first direct talks since Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seized two major cities in mineral-rich eastern Congo earlier this year

In a surprise announcement from Qatar Tuesday the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda jointly called for a cease-fire in an effort to end warfare between them after 30 years of fighting.