Burundian army contingent deployed in eastern DRC

The Congolese army announced on Sunday that a contingent of the Burundian army has been deployed in the east of the DRC to track down local and foreign armed groups active in the region.

The deployment has been agreed by the heads of state of the Community of East African States (EAC) as part of a joint process to put an end to violence in the east of the DRC. 

The Burundian contingent has been placed under the command of the DRC armed forces in the Uvira region that borders Burundi.

In June, EAC heads of state decided to set up a regional force to work with the Congolese army to end violence by armed groups in eastern DRC.

The mineral and resource-rich DRC is plagued by more than 100 armed groups in the east, most of which are a legacy of two regional wars nearly three decades ago.