Kigali has dismissed an appeal in Brussels by President Felix Tshisekedi as "political theatrics"

Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi has called on Rwandan President Paul Kagame to bring peace, as fighting with M23 rebels escalates in eastern Congo.

Speaking at the EU's Global Gateway Forum in Brussels on Thursday, the Congolese leader called on his Rwandan counterpart to "embrace the path of dialogue."

"It is not too late to do things right," Tshisekedi said. "I'm using this forum to extend my hand to you, Mr. President, so that we can make peace. Today, we are the only two capable of stopping this escalation," he stated, urging Rwanda to press M23 to halt the military escalation. 

"And this requires that you order the M23 troops, supported by your country, to stop this escalation which has caused enough deaths as it is," he added.

Kagame did not respond to Tshisekedi's remarks at the forum while Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe later dismissed the comments as "political theatrics". Tshisekedi "alone can end the war." 

Rwanda's presidential press secretary, Stephanie Nyombayire, said on X that Tshisekedi had used the stage in Brussels to cast himself as a peacemaker while "claiming victimhood of the very conflict he caused and has refused to resolve."

Clashes between M23 fighters and Congolese governmental forces have escalated in the country's mineral-rich east since January - with the rebels seizing key mining hubs, including Goma, the capital of North Kivu, and Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu, reportedly leaving thousands dead.

Congolese officials have long accused Rwanda of backing militant groups in the mineral-rich eastern DR Congo and expropriating resources - the claim Kigali denies.

In June, DR Congo signed an agreement with Rwanda, brokered by the US and Qatar, aiming to end the decades-old conflict. US President Donald Trump, whose administration mediated the pact, has said the deal, which calls for a joint security mechanism, also grants Washington rights to local mineral wealth. It also pledges a 90-day Rwandan troop withdrawal from the DR Congo, and outlines disarmament and reintegration steps.

READ MORE: Rival African states to implement US-mediated peace deal

However, Tshisekedi pointed out last month that the agreement has failed to stop the clashes.