France, Feb. 9 -- African leaders trying to solve the fighting in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo between the M23 armed group and Congolese government forces were on Sunday waiting for a response to their call for military chiefs from both sides to thrash out a peace deal.

In a final communique from their two-day summit in Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, two dozen heads of state from eastern and southern African countries urged the commanders to meet within five days and provide technical details for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.

They also called for an opening of humanitarian corridors to evacuate the dead and injured.

The moves came after a day of talks involving the Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his Congolese...