Congo-Kinshasa: DR Congo Hands First Prisoners Back to M23 Rebels Under Peace Deal

What the report says

Democratic Republic of Congo authorities have released 15 prisoners and handed them over to the AFC/M23 rebel movement, according to Radio France Internationale as distributed by AllAfrica. The transfer took place on Friday and is described as the first known prisoner handover carried out under a peace deal signed in 2025 to help end fighting in eastern Congo.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said it facilitated the operation. The detainees reportedly left the government-held city of Beni in North Kivu on Thursday evening, traveled through Uganda overnight, and were received on Friday morning in Rutshuru Territory in the south of the province. Uganda agreed to allow passage, and the transfer was carried out with Ebola prevention measures in place because of the outbreak in eastern DRC.

The handover comes after months of stalled talks over prisoner exchanges. The article notes that the government and rebels had earlier agreed on a protocol and a larger list of detainees, but that exchange did not move forward amid disputes over procedures, identity checks and timing. It was not clear whether the 15 people transferred this week were part of that earlier list.

The prisoner release is one of the first concrete steps linked to the peace process, although fighting has continued despite the agreement. The M23 rebellion has displaced large numbers of people in eastern Congo, and neighboring Rwanda has long been accused by Congo and others of backing the group, an allegation Kigali denies.