Kinshasa, May 5th, 2026 (CPA) – A consultation and institutional alignment meeting dedicated to the operationalization of the program “Regional Responses to Disaster Displacement in Sub-Saharan Africa” (R2ECLID) was launched on Tuesday in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Belgian Development Agency (Enabel), with financial support from the European Union (EU). “The implementation of the regional RE2CLID program requires strengthened coordination and sustained commitment from all national institutions and technical partners. This meeting, bringing together representatives from several sectoral ministries of the DRC, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the European Union (EU) and the Belgian Development Agency (Enabel), aims to enhance the coordination of national and regional interventions in response to population displacements caused by climate shocks, particularly in the Lake Tanganyika basin, shared by Burundi, the DRC and Tanzania,” said Ure Afra Sophie, IOM Programme Coordinator. According to her, the DRC is facing a multidimensional crisis marked by armed conflicts, recurrent natural disasters, poverty and food insecurity, affecting more than 25.6 million people, reflecting the severity and complexity of current challenges. Data presented indicated that more than 2.2 million people were affected by disasters between 2023 and 2024, with economic losses estimated at 1.3 billion US dollars. In 2026, more than 587,630 people have already been displaced due to climate-related hazards, she added. “These figures are not abstract. They represent uprooted families, destroyed livelihoods and increased risks of tensions between communities,” stressed the IOM Program Coordinator. She further noted that the Lake Tanganyika basin constitutes one of the main hotspots of disaster-related displacement in the region, affecting the DRC, Burundi and Tanzania, particularly due to floods, heavy rains, rising water levels, droughts and landslides. She also pointed out that the link between climate, displacement and conflict is now a tangible reality, in a context where pressure on natural resources is intensifying in host areas. “In view of this situation, participants considered that ad hoc responses are no longer sufficient and that a change in scale and approach is required, as local prevention and response mechanisms are facing structural constraints due to the scale of needs and the recurrence of shocks. In this context, the gradual withdrawal of MONUSCO reinforces the central role of national and provincial institutions in crisis management and the protection of populations,” she emphasized. She concluded that “by joining our efforts and aligning our priorities, we can prevent future displacement, reduce human and economic losses and contribute to the sustainable stability of the Lake Tanganyika basin. This meeting marks an important step in the process of operationalizing the RE2CLID program in the DRC.”
Promotion of sustainable solutions
Moreover, the IOM Chief of Mission, Loncaris Sasa, welcomed the RE2CLID program, funded by the European Union, which is based on a regional approach involving the DRC, Burundi and Tanzania. It aims to act upstream of crises and to transform vulnerabilities into sustainable resilience through the strengthening of forecasting systems, improved governance of natural resources and the promotion of durable solutions to displacement. Furthermore, participants in the meeting underscored the importance of involving youth, women, local authorities and community organizations in the implementation of the program, considering them as key actors of resilience.
Enabel reaffirms its commitment to the implementation of the regional RE2CLID program
For his part, Mr. Cédric Ngandu, representative of the Belgian Development Agency (Enabel) at the meeting, reaffirmed his institution’s commitment alongside the Government of the DRC, the IOM and the European Union in implementing the regional RE2CLID program, commending the quality of the partnership among stakeholders and the need to strengthen sustainable solutions to climate challenges. According to him, Enabel’s action is part of a shared vision with its partners, based on alignment with national priorities and a regional and comprehensive approach to development challenges. In this context, climate transition constitutes a major strategic axis at the intersection of stability, development and social cohesion issues. Enabel stressed that climate change is no longer an abstract threat but a reality already affecting millions of people, exacerbating vulnerabilities and leading to increasingly frequent and complex population displacements. The RE2CLID project, funded by the European Union and jointly implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Enabel, is based on an integrated approach recognizing that climate-related displacement cannot be addressed solely from a humanitarian perspective, but requires structural responses combining governance, resilience and development. Through this initiative, partners intend to strengthen prevention, resilience and the autonomy of affected communities by promoting sustainable solutions adapted to local realities.
“Alongside the Congolese authorities and our partners, we are working towards sustainable solutions driven by communities themselves and aligned with their local development priorities,” added the Enabel representative. He also indicated that these efforts aim to contribute to the advent of a more sustainable and equitable world, taking into account the specificities of each context. Messrs. Alain Decoux, Jean Rigobert Tshimanga and Jean Dieu Merci Mukanya respectively represented the European Union, the Secretary-General of the Ministry in charge of the Homeland and the Ministry of in charge Foreign Affairs.