In a statement issued on Saturday, AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said the release of the 15 detainees, facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), was “encouraging” but “insufficient” because many people it says were arrested over alleged links to the movement remain in detention.
The 15 detainees were handed over to AFC/M23 in Bunagana on August 7 after travelling from Beni through Uganda in an operation facilitated by the ICRC under the Doha peace process.
According to the movement, nine of the released individuals were among a list of 768 detainees it had previously submitted to mediators for release. It said the remaining six included one Ugandan national with no links to the group and five Congolese citizens who were not on its original list, arguing that this showed the list was not exhaustive and that more people remained in custody.
AFC/M23 accused Kinshasa of continuing to arrest Congolese citizens on allegations of links to the movement and called for the immediate release of all detainees covered by the prisoner release protocol.
The group also urged the DRC government to publish a complete and updated list of detainees still awaiting release and provide a clear timetable for their release.
The movement further revealed that it has, for nearly a year, made several thousand captured members of the Congolese armed forces (FARDC) and allied Wazalendo fighters available to the ICRC for transfer to Kinshasa, but the government has refused to receive them. It said this could be used to delay or prevent the release of detainees held by the government.
“The AFC-M23 is concerned that the Kinshasa regime’s refusal to receive its own soldiers could be used as a pretext to delay or prevent the release of our compatriots who are being unlawfully detained, while continuing to arrest other Congolese citizens on allegations that they are associated with or acting in concert with our Organisation,” reads the statement.
Despite accusing Kinshasa of failing to honour its commitments, AFC/M23 said it remains committed to the Doha peace process and urged the DRC government to fully implement both the ceasefire agreement and the prisoner release protocol.
The statement came a day after the ICRC confirmed it had facilitated the transfer of the 15 detainees between August 6 and 7 at the request of both parties under the Doha Mechanism signed in September 2025.
According to the ICRC, the detainees voluntarily agreed to the transfer and travelled from Beni through Uganda before being handed over to AFC/M23 in Rutshuru Territory. The humanitarian organisation expressed hope that the operation would pave the way for additional detainee releases and help reunite more families separated by the conflict.
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