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🇨🇩 DR Congo /Elections & Politics

DRC, CAR to resume voluntary refugee repatriation in July, lawmaker welcomes move

From Radio Okapi · () French

Translated from French, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Central African Republic (CAR) have announced the resumption of voluntary repatriation for refugees starting in July.
  • This decision, made at tripartite talks in Kinshasa, aims to alleviate humanitarian pressure on border areas.
  • National Assembly member Grâce Neema Paininye welcomed the move, emphasizing the need for increased security along the porous border.

A significant decision has been reached to restart the voluntary repatriation process for refugees from the Central African Republic (CAR) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with the initiative set to commence in July. This resolution emerged from tripartite discussions held in Kinshasa from June 9 to 11, involving representatives from the DRC, CAR, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The announcement has brought considerable relief to border regions in the DRC, which have been grappling with the prolonged humanitarian crisis caused by the influx of refugees. The decision is viewed as a crucial step toward de-escalating tensions and improving conditions for local populations who have been severely impacted.

I am an elected official from Ango, a territory bordering the CAR. The village concerned is called Zapay. It is an entity that does not even have the capacity to accommodate 5,000 people. Since last year, we have not stopped raising alerts. Seeing these meetings held proves sufficiently that our efforts have paid off.

— Grâce Neema PaininyeDescribing the dire situation in the border village of Zapay and the significance of the repatriation agreement.

National Assembly member Grâce Neema Paininye, who represents the Ango territory in the Bas-Uélé province, expressed her satisfaction with the outcome. She highlighted that the decision is the result of persistent advocacy efforts. Paininye specifically pointed to the urgent need to ease the burden on the border village of Zapay, which currently hosts over 200,000 refugees in increasingly untenable conditions.

Paininye stressed the stark imbalance between the local reception capacities and the sheer number of refugees. She thanked the Congolese government and neighboring countries for prioritizing border security. Looking ahead, she urged provincial authorities and security services to leverage this agreement to foster lasting stability in the region. The parliamentarian called for a sustained increase in the presence of law enforcement along the porous border to ensure the safety and rights of local communities following the refugees' departure.

We thank our government as well as the neighboring countries for having prioritized border security.

— Grâce Neema PaininyeExpressing gratitude for the collaborative efforts leading to the repatriation agreement.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Radio Okapi in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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