On this page, you will find:
To find organisations working for LGBTQI+ rights, visit our Republic of Congo LGBTQI+ Resources page.
For Republic of Congo country of origin information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries, and relevant documents visit our Republic of Congo COI page.
Refugee protection
Click here to see the numbers and origins of refugees hosted by the Republic of Congo.
The following sections contain information on the most important international treaties and agreements of which the Republic of Congo is signatory, as well as national legislation relevant to the protection of refugees.
The Republic of Congo is a State party to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. The Republic of Congo is also a State party to the 1969 Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa (OAU Convention).
Most refugees in the Republic of Congo have been recognized on a prima facie basis pursuant to Article 1.2 of the OAU Convention. The Republic of Congo is not a State party to either the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons or the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. Congo signed the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala Convention) but has not yet ratified it.
Source: UNHCR submission on Republic of Congo, 17th UPR session
The Congolese Constitution of 20 January 2002 recognizes the right to seek asylum in its Article 15. It also recognizes the supremacy of the legal instruments adopted at the international and regional levels over any laws of the country (Article 184). Act No. 23-96 of 06 June 1996 lays down the conditions for entry, stay, and exit of foreigners in the Republic of the Congo and contains general provisions on refugees in its chapter III.
The current asylum system was established through three official decrees and orders. The Presidential Decree No. 99-310 of 31 December 1999 creates the National Refugee Assistance Committee, “Comité National d’Assistance aux Réfugiés” or CNAR; the Minister of Foreign Affairs created an inter-ministerial Eligibility Commission, “Commission d’Eligibilité au Statut de Réfugié” or CE by Order No. 8041 of 28 December 2001, as well as a Refugee Appeals Commission, “Commission des Recours des Réfugiés” or CR by Order No. 8040 of 28 December 2001. The Republic of Congo however has no comprehensive refugee and asylum law. This concern was raised on various occasions with the Congolese Government which subsequently pledged, during the Ministerial Intergovernmental Event on Refugees and Stateless Persons held in Geneva in December 2011, to finalize the drafting of the national bill on refugees.
Source: UNHCR submission on Republic of Congo, 17th UPR session
Legal aid organisations
Website
National Headquarters
Address: 32 avenue des 3 martyrs, Immeuble Ntiétié 1er étage, Place de la station de bus de Jane Vialle Moungali, B.P.: 4021 Brazzaville
Tel: +242 05 768 10 99
Email: contact@ocdh-congobrazza.org
Pointe Noire Office
Address: 37 rue SOUMBA, BP 42-55, Pointe-Noire
Tel: + (242) 056967075
Contact person: Me Jean Gabriel Mavangha Bakala
Email: jgmavangha@ocdh-congobrazza.org
Quessa Office
Tel: + (242) 06 631 27 81/ 05 520 67 90
Contact person: Alain Oyandzi
Email: adoyandzi@ocdh-congobrazza.org
Owando Office
Tel: + (242) 06 4848 460
Contact person: Gabin Sulpice Ossebi
Email: gossebi@ocdh-congobrazza.org
OCDH is a human rights NGO that organises its work into six programmes: programme for the promotion of human rights education, and a culture of peace and democracy; programme for the defense and promotion of human rights; legal assistance programme; medical assistance programme for victims of torture; programme for the special protection of vulnerable groups (including women, children, refugees and minorities).
OCDH’s work on refugees has included involvement in the repatriation of Rwandan refugees, surveying refugees on their feelings about repatriation and urging the government and UNHCR to provide reliable information on the current situation in Rwanda to refugees.
Organisations providing other support to refugees
Address: 111, rue Mbomo- Talangai, Brazzaville, Congo.
Tel: +242 06 941 7694/05 560 1807
Contact person: Emmanuel Ongouala
Email: Angp_droitsdelhomme@yahoo.fr
Association Nationale des Gardiens de la Paix (ANGP) is a non-governmental agency in Brazzaville that offers humanitarian assistance for refugees and focuses on the promotion and the defence of human rights. Emmanuel Ongouala serves as the President of ANGP. ANGP provides services in health services, education, welfare and employment and deals with cases of corruption, security, and judicial inequalities. Refugees in the Congo are vulnerable to exploitation, abuse, corruption, and legal injustices and ANGP assists in securing the rights of refugees and advocates for the creation of a protective legal framework. According to the UNHCR’s 2010 Statistical Online Population Database refugees from Chad, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Ethiopia, Mauritania, and Rwanda, Angola and Sudan are residing in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Republic of Congo LGBTQI+ Resources
Find organisations working for refugee LGBTQI+ rights in the Republic of Congo.
Republic of Congo COI
Find Republic of Congo Country of Origin information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries, and relevant documents.
We are always looking to expand the resources on our platform. If you know about relevant resources, or you are aware of organisations and/or individuals to include in our directories, please get in touch.
Last updated May 2023