On Friday, January 2, 2026, the Chief of Staff of the Congolese Revolutionary Army (ARC), Major General Sultani Makenga, paid a visit to the Rumangabo Military Training Center in North Kivu Province, where he met prisoners of war as well as fighters from the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) and members of the Wazalendo groups who have surrendered to the ARC.
During the visit, Major General Makenga addressed the detainees and surrendered combatants, outlining the options available to them following their surrender. He stated that any individual who wishes to voluntarily join the ARC is free to do so, emphasizing that such a decision must be made without coercion.
He further explained that those who prefer to return to Kinshasa will be able to register for repatriation. According to Major General Makenga, this process will be facilitated in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in line with established humanitarian procedures.
The visit was presented as part of the ARC leadership’s engagement with captured and surrendered fighters amid ongoing hostilities in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Rumangabo Military Training Center has in recent months served as a key site for the custody and processing of prisoners of war and former combatants in North Kivu.