In a statement issued on Friday, the ICRC said the operation took place between August 6 and 7 at the request of the parties and in line with the Doha Mechanism they signed in September 2025.
According to the humanitarian organisation, the 15 individuals voluntarily agreed to take part in the transfer.
They departed Beni in North Kivu on the evening of August 6 and travelled through Uganda, which facilitated their passage, before arriving in Rutshuru Territory on August 7, where they were handed over to AFC/M23.
The ICRC said the operation was conducted in coordination with health authorities and under strict Ebola prevention measures, including the deployment of a Uganda Red Cross ambulance to respond to any medical emergencies.
“We hope that this operation will bring some comfort to families who have been separated from their loved ones for so long and that it will pave the way for further detainee release operations, as agreed by the parties during various negotiations, bringing hope to populations affected by the armed conflicts,” said Stephanie Eller, the ICRC’s Head of Operations in Kinshasa.
Under the Doha Process, the ICRC is acting as a neutral intermediary in response to requests from the parties, in particular regarding the safe transport and handover of detainees.
The latest operation follows an earlier humanitarian mission in May 2025, when the ICRC accompanied convoys carrying several hundred disarmed members of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC), the Congolese National Police, and their families from Goma to Kinshasa.
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