A team of UN peacekeepers arrived in the flashpoint eastern Democratic Republic of Congo town of Uvira to prepare the deployment of a ceasefire‑monitoring mission, the force said on Tuesday.

Eastern DRC has experienced protracted conflict and faces renewed fighting.

The M23 rebel group seized large swathes of territory in the east and launched an offensive in December on Uvira, a strategic town in South Kivu province near the border with Burundi.

The offensive drew widespread condemnation.

Ceasefire efforts

That agreement provided for the UN's DRC peacekeeping mission MONUSCO to carry out a field-monitoring operation with a view to implementing a permanent ceasefire.

On Tuesday, MONUSCO and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, a grouping of surrounding countries, said in a statement they had deployed a joint exploratory and preliminary assessment mission to Uvira.

Scheduled to run until Friday, the mission focuses on assessing access, security, logistics and engagement needs, MONUSCO said.

The statement called the mission "an essential step towards deploying the future joint ceasefire‑monitoring mechanism."

Withdrawal from Uvira

In January, the M23 withdrew its last troops from Uvira, claiming it was responding to a US request.

The Congolese army said it had retaken control of the town.