Coalition leader Corneille Nangaa Yobeluo made the announcement after meeting Hadja Lahbib, the European Union Commissioner for Crisis Management, who visited Goma on February 20, 2026.
“We have 41 minors formerly associated with FARDC and Wazalendo captured in Goma. Today we decided to release them,” Nangaa said. He added that about 100 women linked to FARDC and Wazalendo captured in Rumangabo would also be freed.
He further stated that 230 FARDC soldiers receiving treatment at Katindo Military Barracks will be released “to demonstrate our commitment to peace.”
In April 2025, 1,359 Congolese soldiers and police who had taken refuge at bases of the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO near Goma were transferred to Kinshasa following negotiations between AFC/M23 and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Nangaa said the coalition prioritizes political dialogue as the path to peace but warned it would continue to defend itself if the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo pursues further fighting.
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