This update concerns the situation of Congolese refugees and asylum seekers in countries in the region.
As of 31 March 2019, 833,400 Congolese refugees are being hosted in African countries. From 1 January to 31 March 2019 alone, some 17,843 Congolese fled to neighboring countries, with a significant increase in refugee flows to Uganda.
UNHCR together with 56 humanitarian and development partners launched the 2019-2020 Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRRP) on 11 December 2018 for US$743 million to help respond to the needs of Congolese refugees in Africa.
Regional Highlights and Operational Context
A plane carrying relief items from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, landed on Wednesday, 27 March 2019 in Mozambique’s capital, Maputo, to support people affected by the Cyclone Idai. The airlift was one of the three flights meant to bring relief to some 30,000 people in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi. UNHCR aid was moved from its global stockpiles in Dubai, including family tents, plastic tarpaulins, sleeping mats, blankets, mosquito nets, solar lanterns, cooking sets, jerry cans and other relief items.
Read more here First UNHCR relief flight lands in Mozambique http://bit.ly/2vzOJwwThe Regional Refugee Coordinator (RRC) for the DRC situation, Ann Encontre, led UNHCR's delegation at the Ministerial consultation on displacement in the Great Lakes region, organized by the United Nations Special Envoy of the Secretary General for the Great Lakes region (UN-SESG) and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), in Entebbe, Uganda on 5-7 March 2019.
Read more here The plight of refugees in Africa’s Great Lakes region under discussion by experts http://bit.ly/2GQzx3r