The March 23 Movement/Alliance Fleuve Congo (M23/AFC) rebels have said they are ready to release soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) who were captured on the front line.
During the fall of Goma city in January 2025, hundreds of FARDC soldiers and Wazalendo fighters were captured by M23/AFC rebels. The captives were taken as prisoners of war to the Rumangabo military training centre in Rutshuru territory.
On Saturday, M23/AFC Chief of Staff, Major General Sultani Makenga, issued a statement announcing that soldiers who wish to return to Kinshasa can register to begin the release process. Makenga says the process will be facilitated in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Makenga urged the affected soldiers not to fear registering, describing the move as part of the peace process being implemented by the rebel group. He added that any soldier who wishes to join the M23/AFC is free to do so.
The Congolese government has not yet reacted to Makenga’s statement. However, on Friday, FARDC authorities paraded seven individuals before the press, describing them as Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) soldiers allegedly captured on the front lines in North and South Kivu provinces.
The Deputy Commander of the FARDC Command and Information Service, Lt Col Mak Hazukay, said the arrests prove the presence of Rwandan troops on Congolese soil. He accused Rwanda of deliberately violating the Washington Agreement and United Nations Security Council Resolution 2773.
Hazukay also alleged that Rwanda is manipulating nationals from countries in the sub-region, as well as armed groups such as Red Tabara, in an effort to regionalize the conflict.
On Saturday, Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Olivier Jean Patrick Nduhungirehe, rejected the accusations, describing them as a hoax. He said no RDF soldiers have been arrested on Congolese territory and denied any Rwandan military presence in eastern Congo.
Nduhungirehe stated that one of the accused individuals, identified as Abuba Ndayambaje Abuba, had previously been presented by then FARDC North Kivu spokesperson Colonel Guillaume Ndjike on February 16, 2024, as an RDF soldier from Kayonza, allegedly without a serial number and wearing a brand-new military uniform. He added that the same individual had earlier been presented in mid-January 2024 in dirty civilian clothes, with feet that showed no sign of ever having worn military boots.
Nduhungirehe further accused FARDC of attempting to divert attention from hate speech allegedly made by FARDC spokesperson Major General Sylvain Ekenge, which he said targeted the Tutsi ethnic group.
Since its resurgence in 2022 under leaders Bertrand Bisimwa and Emmanuel Sultan Makenga, the Congolese government has consistently accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebels,claims denied by both Kigali and the group.
M23 says its objective is to fight corruption, xenophobia, and discrimination within the Democratic Republic of Congo’s political leadership. Earlier 2025, M23 launched a rapid offensive across eastern Congo, capturing several key towns and heightening fears of a broader regional conflict.
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