The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is Africa's leading country of displacement, with more than five million internally displaced people. The majority of the more than 1,000,000 refugees and seekers of international protection (IPR) from the DRC are hosted by neighbouring countries.
A 2019 Justice and Peace report estimated that around 80,000 Congolese live in Belgium. Congolese come to Belgium mainly to study, for family reasons and because of the ongoing conflicts in the DRC. In 2020, 2021 and 2022, migratory movements fell sharply because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cedoca did not find any reports of sanctions against Congolese nationals for illegally leaving the country, applying for international protection abroad or staying abroad.
Twenty-two Congolese nationals were returned to Kinshasa from Belgium in 2023. Between January and September 2024 the number rose to four. The Immigration Office does not inform the Congolese authorities whether repatriated persons have applied for international protection in Belgium.
The authorities present at the airport were the Directorate-General for Migration (DGM), the national police, the border police and the National Intelligence Agency (ANR).
On arrival at Njdili airport, Congolese nationals returned from Belgium are identified by the DGM, similarly to ordinary passengers. They are no longer interviewed by the ANR, as was sometimes the case until 2019.
The sources consulted do not report any problems encountered by Congolese repatriated voluntarily or by force from Brussels to Kinshasa during the period covered by this update.
Policy
The policy implemented by the Commissioner General is based on a thorough analysis of accurate and up-to-date information on the general situation in the country of origin. This information is collated in a professional manner from various, objective sources, including the EUAA, the UNHCR, relevant international human rights organisations, non-governmental organisations, professional literature and coverage in the media. When determining policy, the Commissioner General does not only examine the COI Focuses written by Cedoca and published on this website, as these deal with just one aspect of the general situation in the country of origin. The fact that a COI Focus could be out-of-date does not mean that the policy that is being implemented by the Commissioner General is no longer up-to-date.
When assessing an application for asylum, the Commissioner General not only considers the actual situation in the country of origin at the moment of decision-making, he also takes into account the individual situation and personal circumstances of the applicant for international protection. Every asylum application is examined individually. An applicant must comprehensively demonstrate that he has a well-founded fear of persecution or that there is a clear personal risk of serious harm. He cannot, therefore, simply refer back to the general conditions in his country, but must also present concrete, credible and personal facts.
There is no policy paper for this country available on the website.