ISTANBUL 

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Wednesday it is facilitating the relocation of hundreds of disarmed Congolese army and police personnel, along with their families, from the eastern city of Goma to the capital Kinshasa.

The ICRC said the convoys included people who had been staying at a UN military base in Goma, located in the conflict-hit eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. They will be transported over several days to Kinshasa, where Congolese authorities will take responsibility.

The operation follows a joint request from the Congolese Defense Ministry, the UN Mission in Congo (MONUSCO), and the rebel coalition known as the Congo River Alliance (AFC), which includes the M23 rebel group.

The Congolese Armed Forces praised the ICRC and MONUSCO for ensuring the safe evacuation. The army said the Red Cross played a decisive role as a facilitator and neutral intermediary on behalf of the government.

The M23 group, at the center of the eastern Congo conflict, has intensified its offensive since December, seizing key cities, including Goma and Bukavu.

Kinshasa and others accuse neighboring Rwanda of supporting M23 – a claim Kigali denies.

On March 18, Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame agreed to a ceasefire during talks mediated by the Emir of Qatar in Doha. Despite the agreement, fighting has continued in parts of North Kivu province.

Last week, Congo’s Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner and her Rwandan counterpart Olivier Nduhungirehe signed a US-brokered declaration in Washington. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio attended the event.

The two sides pledged to respect each other’s sovereignty and draft a peace agreement by May 2 to end hostilities in eastern Congo.