On 20 June, the EAC's heads of state called for an immediate ceasefire in the eastern DRC and decided to move ahead with the joint force. Other armed groups have also intensified attacks against civilians in these parts.

Moreover, because of the redeployment of both government and UN troops to areas where the M23 is most active, a security vacuum has emerged in Ituri province and parts of North Kivu. In July, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees reported that recent skirmishes in North Kivu province between the Congolese army and the March 23 Movement (M23), an armed group defeated by UN and Congolese forces in 2013, displaced more than 160,000 people. The eastern DRC is experiencing an alarming uptick of armed group violence, including increased attacks on civilians and camps for the displaced. Concurrently, they launched a first round of Kenyan-mediated talks with some Congolese armed group leaders in Nairobi in April. Shortly afterward, the bloc's seven leaders agreed to establish a joint force composed of regional troops to stem the violence. Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi used the occasion of the DRC's accession to ask his counterparts for help in tackling the dozens of armed groups that have fought each other and the authorities in the eastern DRC for years. The DRC joined the EAC, a regional economic bloc, in late March. There is no firm timetable for the force's full deployment. On 15 August, a Burundian contingent was the first to enter the DRC under EAC auspices. The seven member states of the East African Community (EAC) have agreed to deploy a regional force to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Crisis Group expert Nelleke van de Walle explains the plan and its risks. The Congolese authorities have announced the first troop deployment, but obstacles remain. East African leaders have agreed to assemble troops to combat armed groups in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Instal the new Road Defense: Outsiders