UNHCR - Assisting camp-based refugees from DRC in Tanzania and Rwanda - PJ/2018/10

The situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is one of the world’s most complex, challenging and forgotten crises. At the end of 2017, over 685,000 Congolese refugees were seeking protection in neighbouring countries, including Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Rwanda, the Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia, as well as in countries in Southern Africa and beyond. Of these, some 100,000 new refugees were forcibly displaced in 2017, as a consequence of the deterioration of the situation in the country. The majority of Congolese refugees are women and children. Newly arrived refugees have joined existing refugee populations, many of whom have been refugees for over two decades, and for whom resources have been decreasing in recent years and are largely insufficient to cover shelter, health, sanitation and other basic needs or meet minimum standards. In Tanzania and Rwanda particularly, refugee camps are already at full capacity. Funds for livelihood interventions are limited, prolonging refugees’ dependence on external support. In this context, protection and assistance to thousands of new refugees seeking safety while continuing to provide for those in protracted situations has been a challenge for UNHCR and host governments. UNHCR’s total requirements for the Congolese caseload in Tanzania is some US$ 35 million and US$ 39 million in Rwanda, as presented in the Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRP) 2018. To assist DRC camp-based refugees in Tanzania and Rwanda by meeting minimum standards in critical sectors, such as health, sanitation and hygiene, shelter, Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) response and prevention, and efficient operations management. These interventions will help to ensure refugees are living in safety and dignity while UNHCR and partners search for durable solutions.

Assisting DRC camp-based refugees in Tanzania and Rwanda by meeting minimum standards in critical sectors, such as health, sanitation and hygiene, shelter, Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) response and prevention, and efficient operations management. These interventions will help to ensure refugees are living in safety and dignity while UNHCR and partners search for durable solutions.