In the final communiqué of the summit held in Dar es Salaam, the leaders of the eight member states of the East African Community and the 16 member states of the Southern African Development Community affirmed solidarity and unwavering commitment to continue supporting the Democratic Republic of the Congo in its efforts to protect its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
In their joint statement, the two blocs called for the withdrawal of "foreign armed forces that entered the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo without justification," stressing their commitment to protecting its sovereignty.
They also agreed to merge two existing peace processes and consider bringing in additional mediators from other parts of the continent, and urged the blocs' defence ministers to meet within five days "to provide technical guidance on an immediate and unconditional ceasefire".
"We must resist the temptation to think that we can somehow shoot or bomb as a way to reach a solution," Kenyan President William Ruto said at the opening of the summit, which was attended by eight heads of state, including Rwandan President Paul Kagame .
The first-ever summit of both Africa's eastern and southern blocs signals deep concern on the continent over the crisis and the standoff between the DRC and Rwanda, which denies allegations of involvement with its troops and weapons in the conflict.
Experts and diplomats said the two groups were still widely divided over the conflict, with the eastern bloc leaning towards Rwanda's call for dialogue, while the southern countries backed the DRC and were angry over the killing of peacekeepers.
DRC President Felix Tshisekedi , who attended the summit via video, had previously said he would never talk to the M23 rebels, who he sees as seeking to exploit his country's vast mineral wealth.
Late last month, M23 rebel fighters took control of Goma , the largest city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Despite declaring a unilateral ceasefire, they continued to advance south toward Bukavu.
Over the past month, the M23 rebel movement has expanded its control over coltan, gold and tin mines in North Kivu province, displacing thousands in one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
Ahead of the summit, the United States warned of possible sanctions against Rwandan and Congolese officials , making it even more important to find a solution to a conflict rooted in the long-running fallout from the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and the struggle for control of mineral resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo.