Executive summary
The humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a nation wracked by decades of conflict, is one of the most complex and protracted situations in the world. As of November 2022, some 5.5 million people were displaced within the country1 , and over a million had crossed borders to seek asylum2 . Most refugees from the DRC have remained within the African continent, with the majority being hosted by Angola, Burundi, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, and Zambia. In 2023, newly-displaced refugees and asylum-seekers from the DRC will require urgent protection and assistance, while those in long-term situations – many having been hosted in asylum countries for decades – will remain in need of durable solutions and development support.
In many host countries, refugee settlements and camps have reached or exceeded capacity, and the available basic services are either stretched to their limits or too costly, affecting refugees and members of local communities alike. Food insecurity is a growing concern as people struggle to afford necessities due to rising prices caused by high fuel and fertilizer costs, climate shocks, lingering economic issues from the COVID-19 pandemic, and the impacts of the conflict in Ukraine on production and supply. The situation is aggravated by food ration reductions and other essential services cuts in camps and settlements due to funding shortages, which lead many refugees to resort to negative coping strategies and increases their vulnerability to exploitation and abuse.
Some countries continue to promote an encampment policy, which reduces refugees' prospects of accessing employment and other livelihood opportunities. Other host countries have made reservations to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, placing restrictions on certain refugee rights and excluding refugees from essential services, such as public education. Incidents of discrimination and restricted asylum space in refugee-hosting countries, including instances of deportation, are continuously reported. This highlights the need to intensify efforts to promote social cohesion and peaceful coexistence, improve accountability, address prejudice, engage refugees and host communities in decision-making, and reinforce the protection environment.
The drivers of displacement in the DRC are expected to persist in 2023. The fragile socioeconomic context, severe food insecurity, instability due to threats from armed groups and intercommunal violence, human rights violations, development challenges, and tensions around the elections in the DRC scheduled for December 2023 will cause continued flows of refugees into neighbouring countries. Protection actors in the DRC record an average of 6,000 protection incidents per month, with a high prevalence of breaches of the rights to property and free movement, violation of physical integrity, and gender-based violence, which push more and more people to flee. Disease outbreaks and climate-induced disasters also put additional pressure on affected populations.
Throughout 2023, most refugees from the DRC are expected to remain in their countries of asylum, thus, local integration will be crucial in the response. Prospects for voluntary repatriation, however, have improved, with a small number of refugees returning home as of November 2022 (10,400 people were repatriated to Kinshasa and the southern provinces of Haut-Katanga and Kasai, near Zambia and Angola). In 2023, the voluntary repatriation of an estimated 4,300 refugees, mainly from Angola, Republic of the Congo, and Zambia, is forecast if conditions allow for a safe and dignified return. Resettlement will be promoted within the scale-up approach of the Government of the United States of America and other resettlement countries.
Many host countries have demonstrated commitment during the 2019 Global Refugee Forum (GRF) to keeping borders open for asylum-seekers, and refugees from the DRC are expected to continue benefiting from international protection in 2023. It is hoped that several new commitments will be launched at the 2023 GRF. Some governments – Uganda's being a key example – have adopted policies safeguarding refugees’ freedom of movement and other socioeconomic rights, such as the rights to work, establish a business, own property, and access national services, fostering opportunities for them to engage in the local economy. Other countries have made pledges to strengthen asylum spaces and improve refugee protection and solutions, promoting resilience and self-reliance among affected communities. In particular, GRF pledges by the Southern Africa Development Community Member States have been translated into a regional action plan aimed at improving asylum, reducing statelessness, and cultivating the economic inclusion of refugees.
In contrast, some host countries continue to impose restrictions on refugees' freedom of movement and on their rights to work, own land and property, and access education and justice. Refugee Response Plan (RRP) Partners will continue to advocate for the removal of these restrictions and for the adoption of policies that mirror good practices in the region, in line with the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR).
The DRC Regional RRP is a planning, coordination, and fundraising tool developed through collaboration among 69 humanitarian partners and the Governments of Angola, Burundi, the Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, and Zambia. In the spirit of the GCR and in accordance with the Refugee Coordination Model, host governments steer the provision of protection, assistance, and durable solutions to refugees, while RRP Partners, led by UNHCR, support and complement national and regional strategies, working closely with development actors and the private sector.
In 2023, RRP Partners will engage with governments to safeguard unhindered access to asylum and international protection and promote refugees' full enjoyment of rights. Partners will ensure all programming gives emphasis to considerations around age, gender, and diversity, accountability to affected populations, and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse. Humanitarian assistance and access to basic services will be provided based on needs, in particular for new arrivals, but also for long-term refugee populations. Partners will also seek to promote refugees’ and vulnerable host communities’ economic self-reliance and resilience, in line with national development plans and with a particular focus on youth- and women-led initiatives and empowerment, to reduce dependence on assistance, foster social cohesion and peaceful coexistence, and promote socioeconomic inclusion. Lastly, policies and conditions that facilitate voluntary repatriation, resettlement, and local integration will be promoted. The revised position on returns to the DRC will serve as guidance to facilitate the granting of refugee status to new asylum-seekers from the eastern DRC provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu.
While a regional approach is being pursued, the exact scale and scope of activities may vary according to the context of each country's response plan. The 2023 DRC Regional RRP targets more than 1.5 million people – 916,300 refugees from the DRC and 584,600 host community members. The inter-agency financial requirements for the response are of $605 million for activities in seven countries.