AFC/M23 and the DR Congo government have agreed to exchange prisoners within ten days, emerging as the most immediate outcome of five days of talks held in Montreux, Switzerland. ALSO READ: AFC/M23 releases 5,000 FARDC soldiers captured on the battlefield “In Montreux, Switzerland, in a constructive approach, the two parties have agreed on the crucial importance of ensuring vital humanitarian aid to the population without hindrance. But also in 10 days, 311 AFC/M23 prisoners and 166 prisoners on the government side will be released,” said Benjamin Mbonimpa, AFC/M23 permanent secretary and a member of the movement’s delegation. ALSO READ: What hope do peace talks in Geneva offer for DR Congo? The agreement forms part of broader outcomes under the Doha Framework for a Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in November 2025. In a joint statement released on Friday, April 17, the parties said they made “substantial progress toward conclusion of a protocol on Humanitarian Access and Judicial Protection.” They stressed “the critical importance of ensuring life-saving humanitarian assistance for the people of eastern DR Congo,” while committing to compliance with international humanitarian law, human rights law, and refugee law. ALSO READ: Fresh attacks reported in DR Congo hours before peace talks resume The statement also outlines specific protections for civilians and essential infrastructure, with the parties agreeing “to refrain from any attack, destruction, removal, or rendering useless objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population,” including food supplies, agricultural areas, water installations, and key facilities such as hospitals, schools, telecommunications, and energy services. On humanitarian operations, the parties agreed to “facilitate rapid, unimpeded, safe, and sustained humanitarian access and freedom of movement for humanitarian personnel, goods, and services,” ensuring aid is delivered based on need and without discrimination. In addition, both sides agreed to facilitate the passage and freedom of movement of humanitarian convoys and ensure continued access to essential services such as healthcare, food, water, housing, and education, while considering the humanitarian impact of measures affecting these services. ALSO READ: AFC/M23-DR Congo peace talks moved to Switzerland amid Middle East conflict On the ceasefire mechanism, the parties, together with the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), signed a memorandum of understanding to operationalise the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism Plus (EJVM+), enabling the Ceasefire Oversight and Verification Mechanism to begin surveillance, monitoring, and reporting on the implementation of the permanent ceasefire. They expressed readiness to begin planning initial verification missions within a week, with support from the United Nations peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO. The talks, initially hosted in Doha before being relocated to Switzerland due to the Middle East crisis, focused on humanitarian access, the third of eight agreed protocols under the broader peace process. ALSO READ: AFC/M23 condemns Kinshasa attacks days before peace talks However, on the same day the joint statement was released, AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka reported fresh attacks in eastern DR Congo. “These repeated agreements that the Kinshasa regime signs with blatant cynicism amount to nothing more than a vast deception designed to mislead the national and international community,” Kanyuka said. He reported that at around 6:20 a.m. on Friday, the government coalition forces launched attacks against densely populated areas of Chambombo, Kumadepo, and Bulengero in Kalehe territory. “This is a deliberate and irresponsible escalation, revealing an assumed strategy of terror. These offensives have sown death, triggered massive displacements of civilian populations, and led to the destruction of numerous properties,” Kanyuka said.
