Refugees in western DR of Congo to be repatriated from neighbouring Republic of Congo

The United Nations refugee agency said today it plans to repatriate thousands of Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) citizens from the neighbouring Republic of the Congo (RoC) starting at the end of this month, helping them return across difficult terrain where travelling just 100 kilometres can take 10 hours.

Roads in the region are little more than rough tracks and torrential downpours are common, making the logistics of the three-year repatriation of 58,000 of the 60,000 DRC refugees in Congo among the most difficult the agency has faced anywhere, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said.

“UNHCR has organized several modes of transport, including boats to cross the Ubangui River that marks the border between RoC and DRC, and trucks to get through thick forests. Frequently, the last stage of the journey will be on foot,” the agency said.

The returning refugees, most of whom fled in the late 1990s, will go to the northwestern DRC province of Equateur, the only province for which the agency is helping with repatriation.

UNHCR is also helping refugees who opt to return on their own to the eastern DRC province of South Kivu.

An appeal in February for $15 million to cover UNHCR operations in Equateur and South Kivu has brought in $2.3 million, or 23 per cent of what is needed, the agency said.