EU foreign ministers also trumpetted the role of the a peacekeeping force sent by the bloc to the central African country, the first such EU operation outside Europe.

The ministers made "a strong appeal to all Congolese parties and all states in the Great Lakes region to refrain from any military or other activity iin the region that could further destabilize the situation."

The EU "demands also an end to all support including supplies of weapons and any other military equipment to the armed groups and militias," they added in a statement.

More EU peacekeepers arrived in northeastern DRC on Sunday to boost a force deployed there to protect civilians from ethnic clashes that have left hundreds dead in recent months. In total 1,100 troops are on the ground.

The latest arrivals came after a French patrol was shot at on Saturday by militia fighters and returned fire near the flashpoint town of Bunia. There were no reports of injuries on either side.

The clash was the first confirmed occasion that the foreign troops had engaged in fighting since they began deploying in the DRC on June 10.

The EU ministers said the deployment "demonstrates the political will and the capability of the EU to react rapidly and effectively in a crisis situation."

The soldiers now in DRC are almost exclusively French. The mission, codenamed Operation Artemis, is due to reach full strength of 1,500 by mid-July. It is to be succeeded by UN peacekeepers in August.

WAR.WIRE