Congolese authorities hand over 15 prisoners to M23 rebels

The handover marked one ⁠of the first concrete steps in implementing the ​agreement the government and the rebels signed last year in ​Qatar. It follows months of talks over the names of detainees to be freed. The ICRC said in a statement the 15 ​people left the government-held city of Beni in a ​convoy on Thursday evening and travelled through Uganda before being handed ‌over ⁠to AFC/M23 in Rutshuru territory in eastern Congo.

The ICRC said the prisoners had agreed to be transferred. A spokesperson for AFC/M23 did not immediately respond to a ​request for comment. “We ​hope that ⁠this operation will help bring relief to families who have been separated from their ​loved ones for a long time,” said ​Stephanie ⁠Eller, head of ICRC operations in the capital Kinshasa. Congo, the United Nations, and Western powers have repeatedly accused neighbouring ⁠Rwanda ​of supporting the insurgency with its ​own troops and weapons, which Rwanda denies.