Congo, Republic of the
1.1 Republic of the Congo Humanitarian Background
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Disasters, Conflicts and Migration

Natural Hazards

Type

Occurs

Comments / Details

Drought

No

N/A

Earthquakes

Yes

Minor but no recent history.

Epidemics

Yes

Polio and rougeole, now endemic, not completely under control, especially in remote areas, yellow fever, malaria, fall army worm. Cases of Monkey pox detected.

Extreme Temperatures

No

N/A

Flooding

Yes

Frequent associated to heavy rains in the main cities.

Insect Infestation

Yes

Mosquitos and maize caterpillar.

Mudslides

Yes

In certain areas.

Volcanic Eruptions

No

N/A

High Waves / Surges

No

N/A

Wildfires

Yes

In forest areas mainly caused by humans for agricultural purposes.

High Winds

No

N/A

Other Comments

N/A

Man-Made Issues

Civil Strife

Yes

Civil wars in 1993 and between 1997 and 98; Conflict in the Pool region in 2016.

International Conflict

Yes

Foreign troops from Angola intervened in the 1997-98 war.

Internally Displaced Persons

Yes

77000 as of December 2021 as direct consequence of the conflict in the Pool region.

Refugees Present

Yes

From RCA, Rwanda and DRC.

Landmines / UXO Present

N/A

N/A

Other Comments

N/A

For a more detailed database on disasters by country, please see the Centre for Research on Epidemiology of Disastershttp://www.emdat.be/country-profile

Seasonal Effects on Logistics Capacities

Seasonal Effects on Transport

Transport Type

Time Frame

Comments / Details

Primary Road Transport

Usable all year

National Route (Routes Nationals, RN) 1 and RN2.

Secondary Road Transport

Difficult to use during rainy season

Most of the Departmental Routes (Routes Departementales) RD) and some of the RN.

Rail Transport

No seasonal constraints

Currently limited due network and infrastructure in bad conditions.

Air Transport

No seasonal constraints


Waterway Transport

Limited during the dry season

The Sangha and Ubangui rivers are difficult to navigate from Dec-June.

The impact on road accessibility during the rainy is minor on the two primary roads since they are paved. In the North (excepted Sangha department), the passage for vehicles becomes severely limited during the peak of the rainy season, and in principle only four wheels traction vehicles or trucks can pass.  During the dry seasons (Dec-June) the water level is too low for barges to navigate in Ubangi and Sangha rivers. Provision of commodities especially in the Likouala region becomes very difficult during the dry season.

Seasonal Effects on Storage and Handling

Activity Type

Time Frame

Comments / Details

Storage

Dec-June

Limited access to certain northern areas such as Impfondo and Betou. It is recommended to build up and preposition sufficient stock before the beginning of the dry season (Dec-June).

Handling

July-November

The rainy season might cause problems and delay handling.

Other

N/A

N/A

The main UN agencies and NGOs preposition stock at departmental level each year in order to avoid an Interruption of the supply chain in case of access problems.

Capacity and Contacts for In-Country Emergency Response

Government

The main institution responsible for intervention during emergencies is the ministry for Social Affairs, Humanitarian Action and Solidarity through their Directorate-General for Humanitarian Action. Concerning epidemics, the Ministry of Health has the overall government responsibility to respond. The government has, to a certain extent, financially contributed to the past emergency appeals, coordinated by UN agencies. As part of its contribution the government also provided staff and vehicles. Military assets have not been used in emergencies and there are currently no agreements to use military and/or civil defence in relief operations.

For more information on government contact details, please see the following link: 4.1 Republic of the Congo Government Contact List.

Humanitarian Community 

The operational response during emergencies, such as the recent Mpila emergency, has been coordinated by UNDP, with other UN agencies playing a big role. During epidemics, the UN System has been led by WHO and FAO. UNICEF, UNWFP and UNHCR coordinate the emergency actions every time by supplying food assistance to mother and children (UNICEF) and displaced population (WFP). UNHCR is the lead agency for displaced population.

The UN System has currently launched a US$ 21 million humanitarian appeal in coordination with the Ministry for Social Affairs, Humanitarian Action and Solidarity for the assistance of 81,000 displaced people in the Pool region. WFP is currently assisting the displaced people of the pool region through an EMOP. UNHCR is currently drafting a contingency plan to receive displaced people from DRC in prevision of the deterioration of the political and social situation in the country. 

For more information on humanitarian agency contact details, please see the following link: 4.2 Republic of the Congo Humanitarian Agency Contact List.


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