Democratic Republic of Congo - On 10 September 2013, IOM African Capacity Building Centre (ACBC) based in Moshi, Tanzania, and IOM office in Bunia, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) completed a week-long assessment on humanitarian border management (HBM) in DRC.

DRC’s Province Orientale, which shares borders with South Sudan, Uganda and Central African Republic, is the largest of DRC’s provinces, and was chosen as a pilot site to examine the capacities of border agencies to manage crisis situations.

HBM covers border management operations before, during and after humanitarian crises which trigger cross-border migration of affected populations. The HBM concept encompasses both preparedness, as well as response of border agencies, such as immigration and border police, to mass influx of persons fleeing natural or man-made disasters.

“HBM aims to ensure that border authorities are prepared to manage migration crises in a way that protects national borders while at the same time fully respects migrants’ human rights,” says David Knight, Head of Immigration and Border Management Division in IOM headquarters in Geneva.

Covering the distance of 1,400 km, the assessment team visited four different border crossings located in remote regions which often experience conflict-related cross-border movements. Numerous meetings were held at the district, as well as border post level, with border agencies, local authorities, civil society and representatives of the United Nations Mission for the Stabilization of DRC (MONUSCO).

The assessment team mapped and examined the types of crises occurring in these regions; reasons that force people to flee; existing preparedness, contingency plans and coordination mechanisms; division of roles and responsibilities of the various actors concerned; and finally, cooperation and exchange of information with counterparts across the border.

Based on the findings, the assessment team made several recommendations. Among these was to reinforce existing border management committees; encourage awareness raising on migrants’ rights of border authorities; draft standardized operational procedures for crisis situations outlining the tasks of various actors involved; and institutionalize cross-border cooperation in such emergencies. 

The findings and recommendations of the HBM assessment will be presented during a consultative workshop with provincial level authorities to be held in late September 2013 in Kisangani, the capital of Province Orientale. Once endorsed, they will serve as a basis for a full-fledged HBM training curriculum to be developed and taught by the ACBC to DRC’s border agencies in a pilot training that will take place in Kisangani in November 2013.

“IOM DRC has been supporting and building capacities of the recently established border police from the very beginning. The HBM assessment and upcoming HBM trainings are part of our wider efforts to support DRC border management authorities to effectively manage migration in the country, as well as in the region,” concluded Laurent de Boeck, Chief of Mission of IOM DRC.

HBM initiatives in Province Orientale are one of the components of a comprehensive border police capacity building program funded by the Government of Japan.  

For further information, please contact

Erika de Bona
IOM Bunia (DRC)
Email:  edebona@iom.int
Tel.: + 243 9 90 36 49 39