Overview

• The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has started transferring disarmed Congolese troops, police officers, and their families from a UN base in rebel-controlled Goma to Kinshasa.
• This operation, involving approximately 1,400 individuals, follows an agreement between the Congolese government, M23 rebels, the UN, and the ICRC acting as a neutral intermediary.
• The transfer comes after months of refuge at the MONUSCO base in Goma, which was seized by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in January, escalating a long-running conflict in eastern Congo.
• While the evacuation marks a rare humanitarian breakthrough, sporadic clashes between M23 rebels, Congolese forces, and allied militias persist in North and South Kivu provinces.
• Congo and Rwanda have pledged to draft a peace deal by May 2, although previous ceasefires have repeatedly failed to hold.