The individuals, who were transferred from prisons in Kinshasa to Beni in North Kivu Province, have spent more than a month awaiting their handover to AFC/M23.
The planned transfer is part of the implementation of a deal signed in Doha, Qatar, under which the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was designated to facilitate the exchange and transfer of prisoners of war held by both AFC/M23 and the Congolese government.
The ICRC was not involved in the movement of the AFC/M23 members from Kinshasa to Beni, but is expected to oversee their transfer from Beni to areas controlled by the alliance.
The DRC government has confirmed that the individuals were relocated to Beni, saying delays in transferring them to AFC/M23-controlled areas were due to health concerns.
Parts of North Kivu under government control have been affected by an outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a situation that has led AFC/M23 to strengthen security measures around the transfer process.
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