Heads of State from the East African Community have directed all parties involved in the conflict in Eastern DRC to immediately ceasefire.

In a communique issued after the 20th Extra-Ordinary Summit of the East African Community, Heads of State further directed the withdrawal of all foreign armed groups from the region.

The presidents, who convened in Bujumbura on Saturday to evaluate the situation in Eastern DRC, further directed chiefs of defence forces to meet within one week and set new timelines “for withdrawal and recommend appropriate deployment matrix”.

“Violations be reported to the chairperson of the summit for immediate consultation with members of the summit,” the communique added.

The summit further directed all troop-contributing countries to immediately deploy and urged the DRC to instantly facilitate the deployment of troops from South Sudan and Uganda to the East African Regional Force.

The 20th Extra-Ordinary Summit hosted by Burundi’s President Évariste Ndayishimiye deliberated on the way forward amid an insurgency led by the M23 rebel group.

The summit comes days after M23 rebels seized the strategic town of Kitshanga following days of fierce fighting.

DRC’s forces withdrew from Kitshanga on January 27 in what its commanders termed a tactical move to protect the civilian population.

The summit observed that the security situation in Eastern DRC can only be sustainably resolved through a political process and emphasised the need to enhance the dialogue among all parties.

“The Heads of State directed that the political process should be strengthened and escalated to involve all Stakeholders,” the communique said.

The meeting noted with appreciation the financial contribution by Kenya and Tanzania and thanked Rwanda and Uganda for their commitment to contribute to East African peace and urged other partner States to contribute towards the Peace Fund.

Heads of State called on all to respect and implement the decisions of the Summit and obligations agreed upon in previous meetings.

They reiterated calls to all parties to de-escalate tensions and use established regional, continental and international mechanisms to resolve any disputes in the implementation of peace in DRC.