Burundi to deploy troops to eastern DR Congo

Burundi will deploy 100 soldiers to the volatile eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as part of a regional force, a senior Burundian military officer said.

The seven-nation East African Community deployed troops late last year in the eastern DRC, which has been struggling with the rise of militias including the rebel March 23 Movement (M23).

The fighting in North Kivu province has displaced huge numbers of people and exacerbated regional tensions, with the DRC government accusing Rwanda of backing the M23 -- claims denied by Kigali but supported by the US and several Western nations.

The militia re-emerged from dormancy in late 2021, subsequently occupying swathes of territory in North Kivu, including much of the region north of its capital Goma.

The EAC, which has held several meetings to defuse the crisis and called for the withdrawal of the M23 from occupied areas, created a regional force aimed at stabilising the eastern DRC.

But thousands demonstrated in Goma last month, accusing the EAC force of passivity in the face of armed groups.

According to a new timetable adopted by East African leaders last month, "all armed groups", including the M23, must withdraw by March 30, following a three-step process that was due to start on February 28.

Some 5.5 million people were displaced within the country as of last November, according to the UN agency.

In addition, more than one million had left for a neighbouring country, with more than 500,000 seeking shelter in Uganda alone.