The mercenaries, from the RALF group, a private military company based in Romania, had been collaborating with FARDC to combat the M23 since 2022.
They suffered a setback when M23 fighters defeated the coalition forces and captured the city of Goma on Monday, forcing them to surrender to MONUSCO peacekeepers.
On Wednesday, the mercenaries were granted safe passage through Rwanda to return home from Goma.
They now join thousands of people fleeing the conflict region who have been granted safe passage by the Rwandan government through the Grande Barrier border. Others include nearly 2,000 United Nations personnel and their families, as well as at least 40 World Bank employees.
The UN requested to evacuate their staff and families through Rwanda following the closure of the Goma airspace and waterways last week. M23, which is fighting for the rights of the minority Tusi community in DRC, had accused the Congolese army and allied forces of "using Goma airport to load bombs that are killing the civilian population".
In the city of Goma, there were around 800 mercenaries from the RALF group stationed in North Kivu, where they also protected the town of Sake. They were all hired by Horațiu Potra from Romania, who was arrested in December by the Romanian government for violating laws on weapons and ammunition and for public incitement.
Additionally, there were 20 other mercenaries from the Bulgarian Agemira group.
IGIHE
