East African leaders call for immediate ceasefire in eastern DRC

BUJUMBURA -- East African leaders called for an immediate ceasefire in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, a communique by the East African Community said on Saturday.

The 20th Extraordinary Summit of the EAC Heads of State was held in the Burundian commercial capital Bujumbura on Saturday to evaluate the current security situation in the eastern DRC.

The heads of state called for an immediate ceasefire by all parties and the withdrawal of all foreign armed groups, said the communique, directing the chiefs of defense forces to meet within one week to set new timelines for the withdrawal.

The summit also recommended that troop-contributing countries immediately deploy troops and urged the DRC to facilitate the deployment of troops from South Sudan and Uganda.

The United Nations Security Council on Friday renewed its call for the March 23 Movement rebels to withdraw from all occupied areas in the DRC and requested the disarmament of all armed groups.