Burundi has reported the return of 20 soldiers who were captured by the M23 rebel group since 2023. In a reciprocal move, M23 also released an equal number of prisoners.
News of the prisoner exchange first surfaced on social media about a week ago, and news reports from BBC confirmed that the swap took place on Friday, July 25, 2025, at the Gasenyi-Nemba border area between Rwanda and Burundi.
When asked about the exchange, M23’s military spokesperson Willy Ngoma declined to comment. Meanwhile, Burundi’s armed forces spokesperson, General Gaspard Baratuza, neither confirmed nor denied the event but noted, “If this exchange has occurred, it is a positive development and aligns with international laws governing armed conflict.”
Since March 2023, Burundi has deployed troops to eastern DRC as part of the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF). Burundian forces have been stationed in Sake, Kilolirwe, and Kitchanga in North Kivu, following approval from a Heads of State mini-summit held in Addis Ababa on February 17, 2023.
M23 fighters advanced quickly toward the town of Uvira, located on the northwestern tip of Lake Tanganyika opposite Bujumbura, Burundi’s economic capital. In response, Burundian forces moved north of Uvira to repel the M23 advance. Residents reported seeing heavily armed Burundian soldiers moving toward Luvungi, some traveling by road from Uvira and others crossing the Ruizi River, which marks the border between the DRC and Burundi.
M23 seized two major cities in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), giving the armed group a major foothold in the mineral-rich region since taking up arms again in late 2021.
They took control of South Kivu provincial capital Bukavu just a week after capturing Goma, the capital of North Kivu and main city in the country’s east, late January this year.
The M23 rebels have been involved in ongoing peace talks and ceasefire agreements involving the DRC government. For instance, in March 2025, the DRC government and M23 rebels agreed to a ceasefire during peace talks in Qatar . However, these discussions primarily focused on the DRC and M23, with no confirmed involvement of Burundi in prisoner exchanges.
Additionally, in July 2025, the M23 rebels insisted on the release of their prisoners as a condition for participating in further peace talks with the DRC government.
