Leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) decided on Wednesday to extend for another year the mission of regional troops deployed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to fight rebel groups and bring peace to the war-torn region.

The decision was made at an extraordinary summit in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, attended by leaders of the 16 SADC member states, including the DRC.

South Africa has pledged about 3,000 troops to support the SADC mission in the DRC, which began last December. More than 2,000 additional troops from Tanzania and Malawi have also been deployed as part of a joint effort to stabilise the region.