Heads of state from East African Community member countries will meet on Saturday in Bujumbura Burundi to assess the security situation in DRC.
In a statement on Friday, the EAC said the meeting will seek to find a way forward over the volatile security situation in the mineral-rich country.
"EAC Heads of State are tomorrow, 4th February 2023, convening in Bujumbura, Republic of Burundi, for the 20th Extra-Ordinary Summit of EAC Heads of State. Agenda: Evaluation of the Security Situation in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo & Way Forward," the statement read.
Fresh fighting has flared up in eastern DRC where M23 rebels last Friday seized the strategic town of Kitshanga.
The DRC’s army withdrew from the region in what it said was a tactical move to protect civilians amid the renewed onslaught from the rebel fighters.
On Tuesday, The Facilitator of the EAC-Led Nairobi Peace Process, former President Uhuru Kenyatta, convened an urgent meeting with the EAC Technical Advisory Team following the escalation of fighting and targeted killings in the Itivu and North Kivu regions.
Uhuru called for an urgent return to the negotiating table for the purposes of promoting trust and confidence among the parties to the conflict and alleviating further suffering to the people in eastern DRC.
"Following the advice of his technical advisors, the facilitator once again called for a calm and immediate cessation of hostilities. The facilitator expressed his deep concern about the serious violation of the Nairobi principles and the Luanda agreement," a statement from Uhuru's office said.
