Cross-border refugee protection discussed in the Zoom meeting organized by PILnet, UNHCR Geneva and NRC

Zoom meeting organized by PILnet, UNHCR Geneva and Norwegian Refugee Council on the cross-border protection of refugees and asylum seekers.

Participating in a Zoom meeting at the offices of APEDH where it was easy to access internet. We are the only one representing DRCongo

In order to advance some pledges made by some actors during various meetings PILnet organized this meeting today focusing on the movement of refugees and asylum seekers at the border. We are proud that we joined more than 50 actors working on refugee issues around the world in order to discuss together this issues.

Here is our submission to the meeting “Because we are working on the protection of refugees and the promotion of refugee rights here in Goma, North Kivu Province in DRCongo, for the last four years we are the only ones offering legal services to refugees and asylum seekers. In this way cross-border should be part of the whole protection programme of UNHCR. Here is Goma for the last four years UNHCR is not clear on her protection strategy towards refugees. We have the border with Rwanda and it is the second highly busy border in the world after the USA-Mexico border. However there is no strategy, no plan put in place by UNHCR in order to help those who want to seek asylum in DRC especially Rwandan asylum seekers, on contrary efforts from DRC Government through the Migration Officers is to discourage all those found at the border wanting to cross into DRC and UNHCR has been silent to this practice despite the available information of those who have been arrested from the border and deported back to Rwanda. This has forced asylum seekers to use unsafe crossing paths where many are often abused, and once they are here in Goma they are not even offered protection by the refugee regime, and often some are arrested during security operations and deported back to Rwanda. And UNHCR is totally silent, even the NRC is also here and silent. How best can UNHCR Geneva and NRC help us to mobilize their colleagues here in Goma to also focus on issues affecting asylum seekers and refugees”?

During the Zoom meeting

The meeting observed that some countries in South America and in the Democratic Republic of Congo are restrictive and refugees are facing challenges at borders. However Afghanistan was viewed as example which we can also leant from in order to improve. Efforts from Ukraine shows that collaboration with actors especially the involvement of local lawyers at the community was so much productive in order to improve the situation.

In terms of pledges towards refugees, it was observed that the Democratic Republic of Congo Government remains absent in issues affecting refugees at the international level and there was nothing concrete available about DRC Government commitments in some forums.

We requested the organizers and the participants to organize special activities focusing on refugees in the Democratic Republic Congo.