Only nine of the 15 prisoners recently released by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government have been recognised by the March 23 Movement/Alliance Fleuve Congo (M23/AFC), raising fresh questions over the identities of those handed over to the rebel group. The 15 prisoners were released from Beni Territory last Thursday with facilitation from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and handed over to M23/AFC leaders in Rutshuru Territory on Friday morning.
They are among hundreds of people detained by the Congolese government after being captured during fighting involving M23/AFC in North and South Kivu provinces. Others were arrested in government-controlled areas on allegations of spying or links to the rebel movement. The DRC government said the latest release was carried out under the ongoing Doha peace process in Qatar. In September 2025, the government and M23/AFC signed the Doha Mechanism, which includes the release of prisoners of war and other confidence-building measures.
However, M23/AFC has disputed the identities of some of those released. In a statement, the group’s spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said only nine of the 15 appear on a list of 768 people whom M23/AFC says are being held by the DRC government. Kanyuka said one of the remaining six is a Ugandan national who, according to the group, has no links to M23/AFC.
He said the other five were arrested in Katanga, Ituri and Kinshasa and do not appear on the list submitted by the movement. Kanyuka said the latest release therefore suggests that the list of 768 detainees submitted by M23/AFC may not be exhaustive, particularly as Congolese citizens continue to be arrested and accused of having links to the movement.
He described the release as encouraging but insufficient in view of the commitments made under the agreement on the release of prisoners. “The Kinshasa regime must release all citizens identified by our Movement who have been arrested based on alleged links to the M23/AFC group, as well as members of the group who remain in detention,” Kanyuka said.
He also expressed concern that the DRC government’s refusal to receive some of its own soldiers could be used as a reason to delay or block the release of other detainees whom M23/AFC considers to be unlawfully held. The DRC government had not responded to the allegations by the time of publication. M23/AFC resurfaced in 2022 under the leadership of Bertrand Bisimwa and Sultani Makenga and has continued fighting government forces in eastern DRC. Kinshasa has repeatedly accused Rwanda of supporting the rebel group, allegations denied by both Kigali and M23/AFC.
The movement says its armed struggle is aimed at addressing what it describes as corruption, xenophobia and discrimination within the DRC leadership. The conflict intensified in early 2025 when M23/AFC captured several strategic towns in eastern DRC, heightening fears that the fighting could develop into a wider regional conflict-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
