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.

After talks in Qatar, the two countries’ presidents said they were committed to an unconditional truce between Congo’s army and a rebel group that Rwanda denies backing.

Rwanda-backed rebels battling Congo’s army have pushed into a strategic, mineral-rich town in the east, ignoring calls for a ceasefire this week by the Congolese and Rwandan presidents as the M23 rebel group expands its footprint in the conflict-torn African country.