PARIS (Reuters) - The head of world cycling said the Road World Championships would go ahead in Rwanda in September, dismissing criticism from human rights groups who accuse Kigali of using sports to burnish its image while backing rebels fighting in neighbouring Congo.

The M23 militia is ruling over a vast stretch of territory in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, threatening the sovereignty of the biggest country in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Democratic Republic of Congo's President Félix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame have called for an "immediate ceasefire" in eastern DR Congo, after having direct talks in Qatar.