An uneasy calm held Sunday on the Democratic Republic of Congo's eastern front after regional powers dreading a wider war urged Congolese and pro-Rwandan forces to agree to a ceasefire.
In recent months the Rwandan-backed M23 Movement has swiftly seized scores of territory in the DRC's mineral-rich east, with the fighting killing thousands and forcing vast numbers to flee their homes.
Fearing the conflict would spilling into neighbouring countries, east and southern African leaders at a summit on Saturday urged an "immediate and unconditional" ceasefire within five days.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his DR Congo counterpart Felix Tshisekedi took part, though Tshisekedi was on video link.
In Bukavu, capital of South Kivu province that is in the M23's sights, locals expressed doubts that the summit would lead to lasting peace.
"If the agreements are really respected, I can hope for a solution to the security crisis, but only if Kagame and his counterpart Tshisekedi meet and talk to each other without hypocrisy," Bukavu resident Heritier Zahinda told AFP.
The M23 offensive is the latest bloody chapter in the decades of violence that has torn apart eastern DR Congo, riven by violence between various ethnic groups in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide.
DR Congo accuses Rwanda of coveting its vast resources of gold and mineral resources.
Kigali accuses Kinshasa of sheltering the FDLR, an armed group created by ethnic Hutus who massacred Tutsis during the 1994 genocide.
- 'Immediate withdrawal' -
In early February the M23, which claims to protect ethnic Tutsis, took control of Goma, capital of North Kivu province bordering Rwanda.
It has since thrust into neighbouring South Kivu and vowed to march on the capital Kinshasa.
After intense fighting on Saturday 60 kilometres from Bukavu, the front line was calmed Sunday, local and security sources said.
In the city, banks and schools remained shuttered. Many residents have fled fearing an M23 attack.
Since the M23's re-emergence in 2021 various ceasefires and truces have collapsed.
Saturday's summit of the East African Community (EAC) and 16-member Southern African Development Community in Tanzania followed mediation efforts led by Angola and Kenya.
The final statement affirmed support for DR Congo's territorial integrity and urged the opening of humanitarian corridors to evacuate the dead and wounded.
It made no explicit reference to Rwanda or its part in the conflict.
Robert Njangala, head of a youth association in Bukavu, slammed the fact that the summit leaders had "not demanded the immediate withdrawal of Rwandan troops from Congolese soil".
Kigali has always denied granting the M23 military support.
A report by United Nations experts said last year Rwanda had around 4,000 troops in DR Congo and had de facto control of the M23.
The report also charged that Kigali was profiting from smuggling vast amounts of minerals out of DR Congo.