CONGOLESE COMMUNITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES – AUSTRALIA
ABN: 80 059 493 615
PO BOX 654
PETERSHAM, NSW 2049
PHONE AND FAX: 02 95344580 - MOBILE: 0401290366 OR 0413753193
BY
PRESIDENT
JANUARY 2010
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One of the major challenges facing the world today is protecting refugees and people in humanitarian need including asylum seekers who have been forced to leave their homes by armed conflict and human rights abuses. Despite The United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR’s) efforts to find durable solutions during 2008, available information suggests that there were 42 million forcibly displaced people worldwide at the end of 2008. This includes 15.2 million refugees, 827,000 asylumseekers (pending cases) and 26 million internally displaced persons (IDPs). In 2008,
UNHCR identified some 6.6 million stateless persons in 58 countries. The Office estimated that the overall number of stateless persons worldwide was far higher, about
12 million people 1 .
This report describes different tentative solutions targeting issues of Congolese refugees and those in humanitarian need including Asylum seekers. The report also presents the ongoing protracted situations of refugee and asylum seekers from the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC) settled in Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Zambia and then provides some recommendations for a durable solution. The goal of this report is, firstly, to criticize the current strategy used by UNHCR and resettlement partners, particularly
Australia. The report shows that refugees and people in humanitarian need from the DRC are not beneficiaries of the current UNHCR and Australian facilitated resettlement scheme, despite the Australian government commitment to go beyond the international obligations to protect refugees in other countries through resettlement. The report recommends that serious commitment from UNHCR and developing countries, particularly
Australia, is required to promote the Congolese refugee protracted situations as priority for immediate resettlement focus.
1. BACKGROUND
Congolese refugee and humanitarian issues have become eminent with the significant exodus of the population from the DRC beginning more than a decade ago (1996 – 2009) deriving from the brutal fighting between foreign-backed rebels and the government of
Mobutu. More than a stunning 5 million people have died from causes associated with the conflict and approximately 1.4 million people were internally displaced.
1 UNHCR - 2008 global Trend report : Refugees, Asylum-seekers, Returnees, Internally Displaced and Stateless Persons, p. 2. June
2009
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Figure 1: The battle in the DRC and the nine neighbours affected
DRC’s nine neighbours and other African countries have also been affected particularly through population movements.
Figure 2: Congoleses fleeing war to Uganda in August 2008
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During 2006, UNHCR conducted a widespread census and surveys in refugee camps;
Table1 (below) identifies the top ten (10) African and the top five (5) elsewhere countries of settlement for Congolese refugees and Asylum seekers.
CONGOLESE REFUGEES AROUND THE WORLD
(as of 1 January 2006)
Country of Asylum Refugees
AFRICA (Top 10)
United Rep. of Tanzania 150,100
Zambia 61,200
Congo 56,400
Rwanda 41,400
Uganda 20,600
Burundi 20,400
Angola 13,500
South Africa 10,600
Zimbabwe 6,500
Central African Rep. 3,300
ELSEWHERE (Top 5)
France 8,500
United Kingdom 6,500
Germany 6,300
Canada 5,100
United States 2,400
OTHER 18,200
Total 431,000
Table1: Top ten African and top five elsewhere countries hosting the greatest number of Congolese
Refugees and Asylum Seekers.
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2. CURRENT HUMANITARIAN SITUATION
The past three years have seen some political progress, elections in 2006 were successful and agreements reached in 2007 with several renegade groups have led to a reduction in violence in the north-eastern district of Ituri and the Katanga province, while parts of
South Kivu province remain stable. A decrease in violence in these areas has allowed many internally displaced persons (IDPs) and 54,000 refugees to voluntary return to their places of origin, however infrastructure remains poor and returnees are often cut off or discriminated against from services and denied access to economic opportunities.
Despite these improvements, instability still remains in northern South Kivu and North
Kivu regions due to ongoing ethnic tension and heavy fighting with civilians continuing to endure targeted attacks by armed groups. After the signing of the ‘Goma Agreement’ in
January 2008 fighting between armed groups continued and an escalation in violence in late 2008 led to over 250,000 new displacements in North Kivu. Almost 31,000 of these
Congolese people fleeing conflicts have crossed into Uganda from August 2008.
During 2008, UNHCR conducted a widespread census and surveys in refugee camps; Table
2 (below) identifies the top six countries of settlement for Congolese refugees and
Asylum seekers. Tanzania hosted roughly 321,900 refugees and asylum seekers (including
240,500 from Burundi and 79,700 from the DRC) 2 ; Uganda hosted some 155,400 refugees and asylum seekers (most (63,000) from the DRC with almost 31,000 of these Congolese fleeing conflicts in the North Kivu province of DRC crossing into Uganda from August
2008) 3 ; 56,200 out of 59,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Rwanda (the majority) are from the DRC 4 . By the end of 2008 Zambia hosted 88,900 refugees and asylum seekers,
47,300 were from the DRC 5 . The Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) hosted approximately 44,000 refugees and asylum seekers at the end of 2007, with 33,800 from the DRC fleeing civil war during the 1990s, 2004 and 2006 6 . South Africa hosted more than 256,000 refugees and asylum seekers, including 33,000 from the DRC 7 .
5
6
3
4
2 World Refugee Survey 2009- Tanzania
World Refugee Survey 2009- Uganda
World Refugee Survey 2009- Rwanda
World Refugee Survey 2009- Zambia
World Refugee Survey 2009- Rep of Congo
7 World Refugee Survey 2009- South Africa
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Country
Tanzania
Uganda
Rwanda
Zambia
Congo-Brazzaville
South-Africa
Hosted Refugees
And
Asylum Seekers
321,900
155,400
59,000
88,900
44,000
256,000
Congolese Refugees
And
Asylum Seekers
79,700
63,000
56,200
47,300
33,800
33,000
Table 2: Top six countries hosting the greatest number of Congolese Refugees and Asylum Seekers.
Joint military operations carried out by the Congolese and Rwandan national armies against the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebel group in North
Kivu in early 2009 forced thousands of civilians to flee. After the withdrawal of Rwandan army, the Congolese army expanded its military campaign against the FDLR into South
Kivu, leading to new displacements and abuses against the local population. Attacks on civilians and camps for IDPs, as well as a lack of progress in the disarmament of militias, hinders the return of stability to North and the northern part of South Kivu provinces. To prevent massive killing of the civilians in the DRC, the United Nations had created a peacekeeping mission called “MONUC” (Mission de l’ Organisation des Nations Unies au
Congo) with about seventeen thousand (17,000) peacekeepers, the largest ever in the history of the United Nations. The MONUC plays a vital role in protecting civilians, but it is hampered by resource constraints and by supporting a national army that is poorly trained and ill-equipped.
3. TENTATIVE SOLUTIONS
Below are the three tentative durable solutions made by the UNHCR for Congolese refugees and asylum seekers:
 voluntary return to their home country as soon as possible in conditions of safety and dignity;
 local integration in the country of first asylum if return is not feasible;
 resettlement in a third country if neither of the options above are possible or suitable.
VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION
Voluntary repatriation is the durable solution which has historically benefited the largest number of refugees. Different surveys show that most Congolese refugees are willing to voluntary return to their original places in DRC than continue with inhuman living conditions or a protracted situation in refugee camps.
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RETURNEE TO DRC
YEAR REFUGEES
2000 14,000
2001 1,100
2002 13,500
2003 3,200
2004 13,800
2005 39,100
TOTAL 84,700
Table 3: Congolese refugees returned to the DRC from 2000 to 2005
Based on consolidated reports 8 , the Congolese refugee population decreased between
2000 to 2008 due to successful voluntary repatriation operations to DRC. 84,700 refugees have returned to DRC from 2000 to 2005 as in table 3 and 54,000 from the start and end of 2008. Unfortunately, renewed armed conflict and human rights violations in Northern and Southern Kivu regions also led to thousand of refugee outflows to neighbouring countries, Uganda, for example, hosted 31,000 refugees by August (2008). Therefore, a fully voluntary repatriation of all Congolese refugees particularly by people originally from the Northern and Southern Kivu regions using this scheme will take years to occur.
LOCAL INTEGRATION
Local integration should therefore be a possible response as the voluntary repatriation is not feasible. Local integration is a complex and a gradual process which should normally be facilitated through inter-related legal, economic and socio-cultural dimensions
8 UNHCR - 2008 global Trend report : Refugees, Asylum-seekers, Returnees, Internally Displaced and Stateless Persons, p. 2. June
2009
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between the refugees country of origin and the host country. Unfortunately, the analysis of data on local integration is only limited to integration through naturalization of refugees by the host country. As in many of these African hosted countries, the national laws dictated by authorities, do not permit refugees to be naturalized, the local integration is therefore not a durable response to the Congolese Refugees crisis.
Lack of naturalization rights has resulted in refugees, including Congolese, to continue living in ‘under-standard’ conditions in almost all aspects of everyday life including detention, access to courts, freedom of movement and residence, right to earn a livelihood and public relief and education. The only potential problem in the list that was not noted is access to church.
Examples from different neighbouring countries describing the living conditions which
Congolese Refugees and Asylum Seekers endure will be provided to demonstrate the flaws in local integration. All four Governments including Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and
Zambia require refugees to live in refugee camps or settlements, and more than half of them do so. Refugees who travel outside these areas without authorization can be arrested and detained by immigration authorities. While refugees and asylum seekers, in
Zambia, can challenge their detention in court, they cannot challenge other restrictions because of Zambia's reservations to the 1951 Convention 9 . In the western region of
Tanzania, the Government allows refugees to gather firewood within approximately 2.5 miles (4 km) of the camps but refugees often have to travel more than five miles (8 km) outside of the camp as closer supplies are exhausted. These refugees, usually women and children, often suffer theft, physical abuse, and rape 10 . The Rwandan constitution extends to all persons the rights to work, to form unions, to strike, and to own private property. The Refugee Law explicitly grants these rights to refugees. Rwanda's labor and social security legislation covers refugees on par with nationals but refugees receive neither social security nor disability insurance 11 . In Uganda, refugees enjoy the same rights to free primary education as nationals, although Uganda generally cooperates with
UNHCR and aid agencies to assist refugees living in settlements, but the officials normally do not budget for refugees and this restricts their access to education and health services 12 .
While Congolese refugees and asylum seekers lives may not be in immediate danger, their basic rights and essential economic, social and psychological needs remain unfulfilled after years in exile. Long periods of uncertainty and insecurity lead Congolese
Refugees to be in protracted situations. UNHCR defines a protracted refuge situation as
9 World Refugee Survey 2009- Zambia
10 World Refugee Survey 2009- Tanzania
11 World Refugee Survey 2009- Rwanda
12 World Refugee Survey 2009- Uganda
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refugee population of 25,000 or more people who have been in exile for at least five consecutive years. Congolese refugees are therefore experiencing high levels of personal trauma, social tension and sexual violence. As a result, many are forced to resort to desperate measures to survive.
RESSETTLEMENT
1.
OVERVIEW
Resettlement in a third country is used as durable solution to provide protection to refugees whose life, liberty, safety, health or fundamental human rights are at risk in their country of asylum. It is normally promoted by UNHCR where returning to their home country or local integration may not be suitable, or as part of a responsibility sharing arrangement.
The absence of a durable solution for millions of refugees living in protracted situations worldwide continues to pose a major challenge to UNHCR and its partners, to host countries, the refugees themselves and the international community at large. Due to the large number of people affected, UNHCR has therefore decided that initiatives need to be specifically targeted to situations with the greatest chance of resolution. Five refugee situations were selected for immediate resettlement focus based on their prospects of success, actual need, negotiations with host states, cost/benefits and UNHCR’s capacity 13 . These are:
 Afghan refugees in Iran and Pakistan
 Rohingya refugees (from Burma) in Bangladesh
 Bosnian and Croatian refugees in Serbia
 Burundian refugees in Tanzania
 Eritrean refugees in eastern Sudan.
Table 4 shown that during 2008, a total of 88,800 refugees were admitted by 16 resettlement countries, including the United States of America (60,200), Australia
(13,500), Canada (10,800), Sweden (2,200), and Finland (750).
By nationality, the main beneficiaries of the UNHCR-facilitated resettlement programs in
2008 were refugees from Myanmar (23,200), Iraq (17,800), Bhutan (8,100), Somalia
(3,500), Burundi (3,100), and the Democratic Republic of the DRC (1,800).
13 Refugee and Humanitarian Issues: Australia’s Response. Department of Immigration and Citizenship. June 2009. P. 10-11.
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16 RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES
(DURING 2008)
The United States of America
Australia
Canada
Sweden
Finland
REFUGEES AND PEOPLE IN
HUMANITARIAN NEED
60,200
13,500
10,800
2,200
750
OTHER
TOTAL 88,800
MAIN BENEFICIARIES IN 2008
(BY NATIONALITY)
Myanmar
Iraq
Bhutan
Somalia
Burundi
DRC
OTHERS
TOTAL
REFUGEES AND PEOPLE IN
HUMANITARIAN NEED
23,200
17,800
8,100
3,500
3,100
1,800 (2.02 %)
31,300
88,800
Table 4: Refugees resettled worldwide in 2008 using the UNHCR scheme
Although it is well known by the international community and UNHCR that Congolese refugees are part of the ongoing protracted situation, the above data may confirm that the Congolese refugee situation was not selected by the international community as priority for immediate focus.
Refugees and humanitarian entrants from Democratic Republic of the DRC are the 6 th main beneficiaries of the UNHCR facilitated resettlement programs with 1,800 refugees, representing only 2.02% of the total 88,800 refugee intake.
2.
AUSTRALIAN HUMANITARIAN PROGRAM AND CONGOLESE RESSETTLEMENT
Australia has consistently been a strong supporter of international efforts to address protracted refugee situations around the world and as Australia receives comparatively few Asylum Seekers, Australia goes beyond the international obligations to protect refugees in other countries through resettlement.
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OFFSHORE RESETTLEMENT
The offshore resettlement component comprises two categories of permanent visa. These are:
REFUGEE
For people who are subject to persecution in their home country, who are typically outside their home country, and are in need of resettlement. The majority of applicants who are considered under this category are identified and referred by the UNHCR to
Australia for resettlement. The Refugee category includes the Refugee, In–country
Special Humanitarian, Emergency Rescue and Woman at Risk sub–classes.
SPECIAL HUMANITARIAN PROGRAM (SHP)
For people outside their home country who are subject to substantial discrimination amounting to gross violation of human rights in their home country. A proposer who is an
Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, or an organisation that is based in Australia, must support applications for entry under the SHP.
In cooperation with international partners, Australia has resettled around 700,000 refugees and people in humanitarian need since the end of World War II 14 . In the last decade, the overall size of the Humanitarian Program increased in response to the global need for resettlement, from 12,000 places in 1998-99, 13,000 places in 2004-05 to 13,500 places in 2008-09, with 33% of the total places allocated to each priority region including
Africa, Asia and Middle East and the remaining 1% for contingencies. Table.5 shows the number of visas grant by category from 2003-04 to 2007-08 15 .
Refugee
Special Humanitarian
Onshore Protection
Temporary Humanitarian
Concern
Total
Category
2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08
4 134 5 511 6 022 6 003 6 004
8 927 6 755 6 836 5 275 5 026
788 895 1 272 1 701 1 900
2 17 14 38 84
13 851 13 178 14 144 13 017 13 014
Table.5: Humanitarian Program grants by category 2003–04 to 2007–08.
From 2003-04 to 2007-08 55,261 people were granted visas under offshore resettlement programs, as shown in Table.3. By region, Europe (538), Middle East and South-West Asia
14 Life in Australia. Department of Immigration and Citizenship. Australian Government. 2007. p.16-22.
15 Fact Sheet 60 - Australia's Refugee and Humanitarian Program. Department of Immigration and Citizenship. Australian government or http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/60refugee.htm#g
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(17,309), Africa (29,545), Asia (7,847) and America (22). Despite significant number
(29,545) of people from Africa who were granted visas under offshore resettlement programs, as shown in Table.3, only 4.26 % (1,258) of those humanitarian and refugee entrants were declared to be born in the DRC 16 .
Region
Europe
2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 Total %
354 20 55 50 59 538 0.97
2 867 3 174 4 335 3 126 3 807 17309 31.3
Middle East & SW Asia
Africa 8 353 8 486 7 100 2 315 3 291 29545 53.5
Asia 221 415 1 260 2 315 3 636 7847 14.2
America 7 1 8 0 6 22 0.04
Total 13 851 13 178 14 144 13 017 13 014 55261
Table.3: Offshore resettlement program grants by region 2003–04 to 2007–08.
In 2007–08 a total of 13,014 visas were granted, of which 10,799 visas were granted under the offshore component and 2,215 visas were granted under the onshore component. In the offshore visa component, grants to people from Africa comprised 30.48%; grants to people from the Middle East and South West Asia comprised 35.25 %; and grants to people from the Asia/Pacific region comprised 33.67 %. A small percentage of grants were also made to people from Europe and the Americas. See the tables above for further details on the 2007–08 program outcomes. The DRC was the third main beneficiary of the program with only 348 visa grants or 10.6 % of the total (3,291) of visas granted to the African region, see Table 4 below.
Sudan Liberia
Congo Sierra
(DRC) Burundi Leone Africa
1158 410 348 303 267 3291
35.2 12.5 10.6 9.2 8.1 (%)
Table 4: 2007–08 Offshore Visa Grants by Top five African Countries of Birth
In May 2008 the Government announced an increase in the Humanitarian Program to
13,500 places for 2008–09. The Refugee category will be increased to 6,500 places based upon a one-off increase of 500 places. These additional places have been set aside for the resettlement of Iraqis in recognition of their critical resettlement needs. The remaining 7,000 places will be made available under the SHP category and for onshore
16 Report selection Criteria: Democratic Republic of Congo settler by state and gender. Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
Australian Government. 2009. P.1.
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needs. The offshore regional composition of the Humanitarian Program will be evenly distributed in 2008–09. Africa, the Middle East and Asia will remain as priority regions and each region will be allocated a 33% intake, with the remaining 1% allocated for contingencies. The 6,500 refugees are expected to come from protracted situations.
Groups mostly resettled in Australia as part of this commitment include 17 :
 Afghans from Iran and Pakistan
 Burundians from Tanzania
 Liberians from Ghana
 Burmese from Thailand, and more recently
 Bhutanese from Nepal
 Rohingya refugees (from Burma) in Bangladesh.
The above data may demonstrate that the Congolese refugee and humanitarian protracted situation has been ignored to be selected by the Australian Government as priority for immediate resettlement focus. Refugee and people in humanitarian need from DRC are therefore not main beneficiaries of the Australia’s facilitated humanitarian program. Failure to be considered as beneficiaries of the humanitarian program continues to make the Congolese refugee and humanitarian entrants one of the smallest groups to be resettled in Australia.
The initial wave of large Congolese migration to Australia started in the early 1990’s, with majority from humanitarian and refugee background escaping pressure from
Mobutu’s regime. Considering the latest statistics from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship 18 , there have been 1,258 humanitarian and refugee entrants between
2004 and 2009 who declared to be born in the DRC 19 . By gender, 642 females and 616 males and settled by state as follow: New South Wales: 114; Queensland: 230; South
Australia: 309; Victoria: 160; (North Territory; 55; Western Australia: 21; Tasmania: 896 and Not recorded: 76, as shown in Table 5. The 2001 census also identified around 270 residents who were born in DRC. Overall the number of people living in Australia who were born in DRC is less than 1,800.
17 Refugee and Humanitarian Issues: Australia’s Response. Department of Immigration and Citizenship. June 2009. P. 16-24.
18 Congolese Community profile, Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Australian Government, 2006, p. 24.
19 Report selection Criteria: Democratic Republic of Congo settler by state and gender. Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
Australian Government. 2009. P.1.
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State Female Male Total
New South Wales 59 55 114
Northern Territory 30 25 55
Queensland 134 96 230
South Australia 146 163 309
Tasmania 48 48 96
Victoria 63 97 160
Western Australia 125 93 218
Not Recorded 37 39 76
Total 642 616 1258
Table 5: Congolese settled in Australia by state and gender.
The fact that DRC is bordered by 9 countries (Angola, Burundi, The Central African
Republic, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, and considering that some of these countries (e.g. Angola, Rwanda, Burundi, etc.) underwent periods of trouble between 1960-2000, it is possible that some of the people declared born in DRC may be citizens of these countries and not Congolese. This fact may drop down the number of Congolese people considered as refugees and humanitarian entrants in Australia.
The absence of a durable solution for millions of Congolese refugees living in protracted situations in different African countries including Congo-Brazzaville, Tanzania, Rwanda,
Uganda and Zambia continues to pose a major challenge to UNHCR and its partners, to host countries, the refugees themselves and the international community at large. Due to the large number of people affected, both, immediate repatriation to DRC and immediate resettlement to a third country remains the best option for a durable solution. However, lack of serious commitment to bring a permanent peace and security in the DRC wide from United Nation Security Council (UNSC) results in refugees from the
DRC continuing to live under inhuman conditions in different camps in Africa without a
UNHCR strategy plan for repatriation and also lack of commitment to the Congolese refugee protracted situation from UNHCR and the international community results in refugees and people in humanitarian need from the DRC continuing to be ignored as a priority for immediate resettlement focus by the top resettlement countries including
Australia.
Considering the limitations on the mandate of the MONUC and also the suffering of millions of Congolese refugees living in protracted situations in different camps around
Africa due to instability and war in the DRC, the fact that Australia is one of the countries which promotes development, equity and democracy and the success of the
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Australian peacekeeping missions; this report recommends to the Australian Government to:
1.
Play a role in the change of the mandate of the MONUC. For example, the peacekeepers may be allowed to stop the invasion of rebel groups by fighting back once engaged.
2.
Consider taking part in the peacekeeping mission in the DRC to prevent a permanent peace and security to prevent instability and killing of innocent
civilians.
By taking these actions, the Australia Government will prevent the continuation of the instability and the violation of the human rights to allowing Congolese refugees to be voluntary repatriated using the UNHCR scheme.
Considering Australia is a country that offers resettlement for refugees and people with humanitarian needs, through the Refugees and Humanitarian schemes defined in the immigration law, and that many Congolese people are suffering in refugee camps in DRC neighbouring countries, Congolese Refugees and Humanitarian Entrants may fulfill the
Australian requirements for resettlement. In addition, an effort has been made by
Congolese people living in Australia particularly in New South Wales to bring family members to Australia but in most instances applications are declined without a means of appeal. Furthermore, many of these humanitarian entrants including refugees have been motivated by a commitment to reconnect with family or a desire to escape war or persecution. These prospective entrants were determined to establish a new life for themselves and their families and were willing to work hard to make the most of their opportunities.
This report therefore recommends that the Honourable Minister of Immigration and
Citizenship considers reviewing current policy in regard to the Congolese refugees and humanitarian applicants. A fair policy consists of one which considers refugees and people in humanitarian need from the DRC as a priority for immediate resettlement focus in order to allow a greater number of refugees and people in humanitarian need from the DRC to resettle in Australia.
The Australian Government has reiterated its commitment to the goals and development targets at the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in September 2000, giving priority to the right to development, peace and security, gender equality, the eradication of poverty and human development. This commitment includes an overall objective to reduce poverty in the world by half by 2015 in comparison to the poverty level in 1990. Residents from the DRC living in protracted situations should be prime targets of Australia’s resettlement program. Inclusion in this program would alleviate the
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situation in DRC as well as assist Australia in meeting its targets and improving the lives of people living in harsh conditions. Unfortunately, with dependent relatives including immediate family members continuing to live in protracted situations in different countries in Africa, refugees and humanitarian entrants living in Australia continue to send the majority of their wages overseas to support their dependent relatives. This particular group of Australians will remain in poverty, their Australian dreams far from being reached. Australia’s commitment to the eradication of poverty and human development is therefore meaningless.
This report therefore recommends that the Honourable Minister of Immigration and
Citizenship considers reviewing current policy. A policy which will strongly reconsider previously declined cases once re-applied in order to allow relatives including immediate family to be re-united once again and to relieve this particular group of Australians from hardship.
In conclusion, this report states that Australia as one of the developing country which promoting the right to development, peace and security, equity, the eradication of poverty and human development. Human from the DRC living inside the country without peace and security and also in protracted situations inside different refugee camps in
Africa should be prime targets of Australia Government program. Consideration of the these situation as priority for immediate focus would alleviate the situation in DRC as well as assist Australia in meeting its targets and improving the lives of people living in harsh conditions. In addition, Australia is a multicultural country. By allowing more
Congolese people to settle in Australia, the Congolese community will grow in safety and
Congolese people will be able to add their rich culture to the cultural diversity that makes up Australia.
ACKNWOLEGEMENTS
This report is produced as part of the leadership of the Congolese Community of New
South Wales (NSW) contribution to the Australian Government 2010 -2011 Humanitarian
Submission Program initiated by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship. I thank
Mamie Mbula Kitoko, Congolese Community of NSW first lady, for unflagging support during the implementation of the report – Ms Rosemary Muadi, the secretary of the
Congolese Community of NSW, for helpful support in preparation of this report.
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