In a statement issued by AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka, the movement said the handover took place on March 2, 2026, at Rugamabo camp in North Kivu Province, where the captives had been held after being captured on various frontlines of the conflict.
According to the statement, the detainees were transported back to the Congolese capital under the supervision of the Red Cross.
The prisoner transfer comes within a broader framework aimed at facilitating detainee exchanges between the Congolese government and the AFC/M23. The Red Cross was tasked with overseeing such exchanges in eastern Congo in September 2025 as part of confidence-building measures linked to mediation efforts.
During a ceremony in Doha, officials from Qatar, acting as mediator, handed the ICRC a signed copy of the mechanism for the release of detainees. Representatives from both the Congolese government and AFC/M23 attended the event, which established procedures for verification and exchange operations.
As part of the process, the AFC/M23 has called for the release of more than 700 prisoners currently held by Congolese authorities in connection with the conflict. The group says the request should be addressed during the Red Cross–supervised exchange process.
The ICRC has previously facilitated similar operations in eastern Congo, including the transfer of disarmed Congolese government soldiers and their family members from Goma to Kinshasa.
In its statement, the AFC/M23 said the handover of prisoners demonstrates its commitment to confidence-building measures and to easing tensions in accordance with international humanitarian law.
However, the group accused the government in Kinshasa of failing to reciprocate. It alleged that authorities have refused to release detainees linked to the movement and accused the government of violating ceasefire arrangements while continuing military operations against its forces.
The statement also urged international mediators and partners to take note of repeated ceasefire violations by the government of President Félix Tshisekedi.
The conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, particularly in North Kivu, has escalated in recent years, displacing hundreds of thousands of civilians and drawing regional and international mediation efforts aimed at restoring stability in the mineral-rich region.
L’Alliance Fleuve Congo/Mouvement du 23 Mars (AFC/M23) informe l’opinion publique qu’elle a une fois de plus remis au Comité international de la Croix-Rouge (CICR) plus de 5 000 éléments des FARDC, capturés sur différents fronts. Ceux-ci seront rapatriés vers Kinshasa sous la… pic.twitter.com/5eP9QCLFD5
— Lawrence KANYUKA (@LawrenceKanyuka) March 8, 2026
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