Southern African countries say they are willing to send a peacekeeping force to try to help stabilise the eastern DR Congo.
Tomaz Salamao, executive secretary of the Southern African Development Community, said the group would also send military advisers to DR Congo and would not stand by and watch the situation deteriorate.
Meanwhile, fighting which erupted this morning between rebels and forces backing the government in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has ended.
The clashes took place at Ngungu, some 60km west of Goma, the provincial capital of Nord-Kivu, which is on the border with Sud-Kivu province.
The clashes involved rebels led by renegade general Laurent Nkunda on one side and pro-government Mai-Mai militia and Hutu rebels on the other.
Fighting began early this morning and ended after UN mediation.
The fighting that has flared up since August between rebel and government forces, in violation of a January ceasefire, has so far been limited to Nord-Kivu.
