Prisoners’ release is pending despite DRC-AFC/M23 agreement

Kinshasa, Apr 30 (Prensa Latina) Despite the 10-day deadline between the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Congo River Alliance-the March 23 Movement (AFC/M23) expired, the release of prisoners remains pending.

April 30, 2026
22:20

Both sides agreed, in the most recent round of negotiations held in Montreux, Switzerland, from April 13 to 17, 2026, to release 311 prisoners linked to the M23 and 166 linked to Kinshasa, all of whom were identified by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

The decision was part of the Framework Agreement signed in November 2025 under Qatari mediation, and details for its implementation were finalized in Switzerland following a review of the detention lists by the ICRC.

To date, none of the detainees have been released, despite the parties demonstrating their strong willingness to implement this confidence measure.

The AFC/M23 issued a statement on the matter, in which it accused the DRC Government of failing to uphold its commitments, while bombing continues in occupied territories and against civilian populations.

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