Rebels

ICRC facilitates first known transfer of detainees between Congolese government and M23 rebels in North Kivu.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has released 15 prisoners and handed them over to rebels from ⁠the Congo River Alliance/March 23 movement (AFC/M23) in the east of the country.

The release was announced by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which facilitated this first known transfer of prisoners under last year’s Qatar-mediated deal to end the fighting in the region.

The handover happened on Thursday and Friday after months of talks thrashing out the names of detainees to be freed.

An ICRC statement said the 15 prisoners agreed to be transferred before leaving the government-held eastern Congolese city of Beni in a convoy on Thursday evening.

The journey continued through Uganda before the convoy arrived in Rutshuru Territory in DRC’s North Kivu province, where the prisoners were ⁠⁠handed over to AFC/M23 on Friday, the statement added.

M23 seized the regional capitals in North and South Kivu from the Congolese government’s control in early 2025.

Stephanie Eller, head of ICRC operations in the capital ‌Kinshasa, said she hoped the transfer would pave the way for more releases.

“We hope that this ⁠operation will help bring relief ⁠to families who have been separated from their loved ones for a long time,” Eller said.

The release of detainees was one of the conditions in the Qatari-mediated agreement signed by the Congolese government and AFC/M23 in September.

Qatar welcomed the releases on Friday.

“The release of the detained persons represents an important step towards enhancing confidence between the parties and creating favourable conditions for further progress towards reaching peaceful and sustainable solutions,” Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

It added that Qatar “expresses its hope that this step will serve as an impetus for further measures that enhance confidence-building between the parties and meet the aspirations of the Congolese people for peace, development and prosperity”.

DRC, the United Nations and Western powers have repeatedly accused neighbouring Rwanda of supporting the M23 with its ‌own ‌troops and weapons as the armed group has advanced in the east, a charge Rwanda denies.

The Ukrainian government has dismissed allegations that it is backing the M23 rebels in the fight against the Democratic Republic of Congo. Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, described the accusations as “Kremlin disinformation.” 

During his visit to Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed that Ukraine is one of the external supporters of the M23 rebellion, which controls significant territories in the North Kivu and South Kivu provinces of the DRC. In a statement on Saturday, July 11, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson said the Russian accusations have no concrete element of truth, noting that his country does not support the M23 rebels. 

“The affirmations by Lavrov according to which Ukraine supports the M23 in the Eastern DR Congo belong to Kremlin disinformation and are devoid of all foundations. We refute and officially reject these accusations,” Heorhi said.

He stressed that his country does not intervene in African conflicts and that Russia is implementing a policy of interference on the African continent while accusing other nations of similar actions. “Ukraine does not interfere in African conflicts. Russia, on the contrary, does so: it arms groups in violation of sanctions, fuels instability and recruits citizens of African countries to fight in its war against Ukraine. Moscow accuses others of what it does itself: there is nothing new,” he reiterated.

The Ukrainian official said these accusations form part of a broader political strategy by Moscow to distract people from its actions and undermine current diplomatic efforts in the Great Lakes region. “The Russian objective is clear: weaken the American mediation efforts in the Great Lakes region and divert attention from its destructive actions which hinder the peace process,” he said.

The situation remains fluid, even in light of the Washington Accord and several evaluation meetings. The security and humanitarian conditions in eastern DRC have worsened. Tensions persist between the DRC and Rwanda, with each side interpreting the Washington Accord differently. This has complicated matters one year after the accord was signed. 

It’s the same issue with the Qatar-facilitated peace accord in Doha. Despite multiple rounds of discussions, the Congolese government and the M23 are struggling to reach an agreement on their key points of disagreement. The Montreux meeting in Switzerland, intended to reinvigorate the process, has not yielded the anticipated results. Commitments made during this phase of negotiations have not been fully honoured, and the worsening security situation in the Middle East has further sidelined this issue, delaying mediation efforts. In light of the current situation, regional and international bodies have urged all parties to honour their commitments from the peace initiatives.

The armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have launched a large-scale drone offensive to reclaim towns and villages seized by M23 rebels in the South Kivu province.

The targeted areas are in the plateau regions of Fizi, Uvira, and Mwenga, where intense fighting is currently underway between the M23 fighters and the DRC forces. Supported by the Wazalendo, a militia group in the country, the Congolese army claimed to have retaken several villages in the areas surrounding Minembwe, particularly Point Zero and Rugezi, both in South Kivu.

On July 7, Reagan-Mbuyi Kalonjo, spokesperson for Operation 2 Sud Sud-Kivu, stated that Congolese forces recaptured the strategic positions of Kimete, Kihene, and Kashamata. “Elements of the M23/AFC-Twirwaneho-RDC-Red Tabara rebel coalition have been constrained to withdraw towards Rugezi and Bigaragara to the south of Minembwe,” Reagan-Mbuyi revealed.

The ongoing conflict happens to be in a region with poor telephone coverage, which delays access to information from independent sources. The Congolese national army has condemned the M23 drone bombardment on the village of Bidjaga, located east of Point Zero, as well as other densely populated villages. This attack resulted in ten deaths, according to an army communiqué.

The ongoing conflict between M23 rebels and the Congolese armed forces has intensified in the South Kivu province of the DRC. M23, a rebel group that claims to represent the interests of the ethnic Congolese Tutsi population, has sought to expand its control over strategic territories in the region, leading to violent confrontations with the Congolese army. The DRC forces, supported by the local militia group Wazalendo, have recently been deploying drone technology to reclaim towns and villages that have fallen under M23’s control. 

The conflict has also drawn international attention due to its humanitarian implications, as civilian populations in the affected areas face severe risks. Despite the complexities of warfare in a region marked by poor communication infrastructure, the clashes have been continuous, exacerbating the already precarious security situation for locals and creating a pressing need for humanitarian assistance.

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