Congo has a long history of hosting refugees from neighboring countries since the 1990s. As of 30 June 2024, Congo hosted over 68,000 refugees and asylum seekers predominantly from the Central African Republic (CAR, 50 per cent), the Democratic Republic of Congo ( DRC, 42 per cent) and Rwanda (5 per cent). Three-fifths of all refugees and asylum-seekers live in remote rural areas, particularly in the Likouala and Plateaux departments in the northeast of the country. Fifty per cent are female, and 43 per cent are children. About 29 per cent of adults reported agriculture, forestry and fisheries as their primary occupation, while 14 per cent of all adults reported being small-scale vendors in the formal and in the informal sectors. 52 per cent reported having no economic occupation. The last major influx of refugees occurred in early 2021, when more than 8,000 refugees arrived from CAR, fleeing post-electoral violence. Since August 2022, more than 5,200 asylum-seekers have fled inter-community violence and the presence of the Mobondo militia in the Kwamouth district (DRC) and are currently residing in the Plateaux department. Congo faces challenges in civil registration, particularly in remote areas. As of late 2023, it is estimated that 68,000 Congolese nationals are at risk of statelessness due to a lack of birth declaration. Refugees and asylum-seekers enjoy a favourable protection environment supported by the Law 41-2021 of 29 September 2021, creating a comprehensive legal basis and an appropriate framework for the Government to provide international protection. The government has also made specific commitments to combat statelessness and created a national committee for the eradication of statelessness in 2022 and acceded to the 1954 and 1961 Conventions on statelessness at the end of 2023. The Republic of Congo is characterized by a context conducive to the socio-economic inclusion of refugees. The latter benefit from a positive protection environment, with no restrictions on freedom of movement, access to social services (including health and education) and to the judicial system, as well as access to the labor market. Commitments to ensure protection and inclusion into national systems have been reiterated during high level fora such as 2019 and 2023 Global Refugee Forum, and engagement in support platforms such as the Central African Republic Solutions Support Platform to contribute to the sustainable and peace-transformative solutions for forcibly displaced Central Africans. In line with the Global Compact on Refugees, diversified partnerships and collaboration have been developed in the Republic of Congo to strengthen community empowerment through increased access to basic services, national protection systems and economic opportunities. This whole of society approach allows for a refugee response model focused on inclusion and development, benefiting refugee hosting areas, and thus local populations and social cohesion.

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