Addis Ababa, Feb 17 (IANS): African leaders attending the 38th African Union (AU) Summit have urged the immediate withdrawal of the March 23 Movement (M23) armed group from the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

In a press conference on the sidelines of the AU Summit on Sunday in Addis Ababa, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Bankole Adeoye said African leaders called for the preservation and total respect of the sovereignty, political unity and territorial integrity of the DRC.

"We are clearly expressing great concern, and what leaders did too, in the situation in the eastern DRC, calling for immediate withdrawal of the M23 and their supporters from all occupied towns and cities, including Goma airport in the eastern DRC," Adeoye said.

The Commissioner noted that the continental bloc is closely following the crisis and pushing forward the effective implementation of the Luanda and Nairobi processes, Xinhua news agency reported.

"It is also important to emphasise that leaders even at the assembly and the level of the peace and security council also agreed to ensure that the two processes, popularly called Luanda and Nairobi processes, remain the best form of dialogue framework for all parties," he said.

According to Adeoye, the continental bloc condemned illegal mineral exploitation and other natural resources in the region, which complicated the crisis. The AU called on all parties to the conflict in the eastern DRC to embrace reconciliation and dialogue.

The M23 rebels entered Bukavu, a major city in the region, on Sunday. The armed group has been advancing since seizing the region's largest city, Goma, in late January.

Earlier, the DRC government assured the public that it is closely monitoring the situation in Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu Province, where the M23 rebels entered earlier in the morning.