Over 280 Romanian security contractors in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo crossed the border into neighboring Rwanda on Wednesday to turn themselves in, the Rwanda Defense Force said on Wednesday.
Footage from social media showed a lengthy line of men, many in jeans and T-shirts, entering Rwandan territory peacefully on foot at the Gisenyi border checkpoint, flanked by armed Rwandan soldiers.
Prior to undergoing body searches and registration, the Rwandan troops examined the mercs' backpacks and other possessions, which were opened on the ground with the assistance of sniffer dogs.
The Rwandan Ministry of Defense said they are being moved to Kigali in buses.
According to the French media, Horatiu Potra, a Romanian former soldier of the French Foreign Legion, was in charge of Congo Protection, one of the military contractors, in Goma. Goma is protected, and Congolese army units are trained by Congo Protection's primarily Eastern European personnel. They have joined the fight against the rebels as well.
The other company, Agemira, is owned and operated by French nationals, including former French military officers.