Wave of surrenders within AFC/M23, over 260 fighters lay down arms in Kivu

On April 8, 2026, the command of the 34th military region of North Kivu announced the voluntary surrender of 263 AFC/M23 fighters, including four officers, between February and March 2026. These surrenders occurred in several territories of North Kivu and in South Kivu, with former fighters turning themselves in to the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC). The military emphasized that some of these fighters had been forcibly recruited and offered options for social reintegration or potential integration into the army.