Leaders of Eastern and Southern African regional blocs met for an unprecedented joint summit on Saturday to find a solution to a conflict in eastern Congo, where Rwandan-backed rebels’ rapid advance since January has fanned fears of a wider war.

A joint summit of leaders from eastern and southern Africa is underway in Tanzania as African governments try to find a solution to the violent conflict in eastern Congo, where rebels are threatening to overthrow the Congolese government.

Leaders at an unprecedented joint summit of Eastern and Southern African regional blocs stressed on Saturday the urgency of finding a way out of the crisis in eastern Congo, where Rwanda-backed rebels' rapid advance has fanned fears of a wider war.

The U.N.’s top human rights body on Friday condemned Rwanda’s support of rebel fighters across the border in eastern Congo and ordered a team of experts to examine rights violations in the region. The decision by the Human Rights Council was requested by Congo and agreed to by consensus,

Rwanda-backed rebels who have captured eastern Congo’s largest city say they plan to take their rebellion to the capital and seek to gain political power.