A force from East Africa will be sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The heads of state of East Africa have agreed to send a joint military force to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to deal with armed groups operating in the area.

The regional leaders decided on Thursday during a conference in Nairobi, Kenya's capital, that such a force should be activated immediately.

The size of the projected force has yet to be determined.

According to a summit statement, all armed groups operating in eastern DR Congo should unreservedly participate in a democratic process to resolve their complaints.

Those who do not comply will face military action, it warns.

In the mineral-rich region, dozens of rebel organizations operate, some of which originate in neighboring countries or are affiliated with DR Congo's neighbors.

The M23 rebels, one of the most powerful fighting groups, have made a comeback in recent weeks.

Hundreds of civilians have been forced to evacuate their homes after the gang attacked government army positions and captured villages in the Rutshuru region.

Since November of last year, the Ugandan army has been operating in Ituri province.

It has been pursuing the Allied Democratic Forces, a Ugandan-based rebel organization that it accuses of carrying out a series of attacks in the country last year.

Last month, the Democratic Republic of Congo joined the East African Community, a regional bloc of seven countries, in what some observers regard as a move toward finding cooperative solutions to the country's security problems in the east.