East African force to be deployed to DR Congo

East African heads of state have agreed to deploy a joint military force to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to deal with the armed groups operating in that region.

At a summit in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on Thursday, the regional leaders resolved that such a force should be mobilised with immediate effect.

There are no details yet on the size of the proposed force.

All armed groups operating in eastern DR Congo should unconditionally participate in a political process to resolve their grievances, a statement from the summit says.

Those that do not will be dealt with militarily, it adds.

Dozens of rebel groups operate in the mineral-rich region, some of which originate from neighbouring countries or are associated with DR Congo’s neighbours.

The last few weeks have seen a resurgence of one of the biggest fighting groups, the M23 rebels.