DR Congo Hands 15 Prisoners to M23 in First Doha-Backed Transfer

Overview

• The International Committee of the Red Cross said the DRC released 15 detainees who consented to transfer and facilitated their convoy from Beni through Uganda to Rutshuru on Friday.
• Qatar welcomed the handover as implementation of the Doha-mediated agreement and described the move as a step to build trust between the Congolese government and AFC/M23.
• The ICRC said the operation aimed to reunite families and relieve long separations while stressing it acted as a neutral facilitator for the safe transfer.
• Key uncertainties remain because the ICRC does not know whether the detainees were M23 fighters and negotiators have not confirmed whether this transfer follows the larger prisoner lists agreed earlier this year.
• The transfer comes against a backdrop of M23 advances in early 2025 and ongoing accusations by the DRC, the UN and Western governments that Rwanda has backed the rebels, a charge Kigali rejects.