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.

Democratic Republic of Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi will take part in a joint summit of Eastern and Southern African leaders starting on Friday to discuss the conflict in its east, where Rwandan-backed rebels are seizing more territory.

Leaders from Eastern and Southern African regional blocs gather in Tanzania on Saturday to seek a solution to the conflict in eastern Congo, where Rwandan-backed rebels have seized a major city in the worst escalation of fighting in more than a decade.