SA, Angola and DR Congo leaders back peace deal
The presidents of Angola, South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday threw their weight behind a plan to bring peace to DR Congo's troubled North Kivu.
Leaders of the three southern African nations backed a plan signed by 11 states last month that opened the way for an "intervention brigade" of 2,500 troops.
"We do not claim a new initiative for peace in the DRC," said Jose Eduardo dos Santos, alongside his counterparts after a meeting in the Angolan capital.
But he said that the three nations would "contribute to ensure the efficiency" of the deal, without giving specifics on troop deployments.
Currently, a 17,000-strong UN-led mission is combating rebels after years of unrest.
South Africa currently has troops in DR Congo as part of the UN-led mission MONUSCO.
The position of Angola is less clear with Dos Santos supporting his counterpart Joseph Kabila against the rebellion but refusing to send troops.
North Kivu has faced an uprising since last year by the M23 group which briefly seized the regional capital Goma last year.
It still controls territory near the Rwanda border.