 By late 2017, more than 685,000 Congolese refugees sought international 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. In 2018, the crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) deteriorated, spreading to previously unaffected areas. Since August 30, 2017, Zambia received refugees fleeing conflict in Pweto and Moba areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), who were first settled temporarily in Chiengi district.  By September 2017 the number of arrivals had exceeded 1,000 and Kenani transit centre in Nchelenge district was opened, to which all refugees were relocated. As the number of refugees increased to over 6,000, Kenani could no longer accommodate new arrivals.  Mantapala, approximately 36 km southeast of Nchelenge and spanning - 8,000 hectares, was opened in early 2018. All refugees residing at Kenani, were then relocated to the new settlement. Ever since the 2018 elections in DRC, arrivals have reduced to a steady trickle of refugees seeking international protection or family reunification.  During the emergency refugee operation, the Government of Zambia, through the Office of the Commissioner for Refugees in the Ministry of Home Affairs, collaborated closely with UNHCR, UN agencies and other partners. It coordinated and led the emergency response to address the most urgent protection needs of refugees such as food, shelter, water and sanitation, core relief items, and health services, and provided livelihood support and basic education for refugees to promote peaceful co-existence with local community and contribute to local economic development.  Today, the collaboration of Government with UNHCR, UN agencies and other partners is aimed at providing sustainable solutions for refugees and the host community, inculcating a sense of self-reliance and ownership in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Seventh National Development Plan (SNDP).  Considerable gains have been made regarding the construction of permanent infrastructure, the next focus will be to enhance the multi-stakeholder approach to equip structures such as health and education facilities to improve human potential and to support the inclusion of refugees in national systems in line with the Global Compact on Refugees of which the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) is apart.

• Zambia's Vice President led a delegation from the government to attend the Global Refugee Forum (GRF) in Geneva, Switzerland. Upon departure in Lusaka, the Vice President said that Zambia will continue to shelter people seeking refuge from other countries due to conflicts, as mandated by the UN. Therefore, programmes such as the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva are important for the country to participate in. "As a country, we have hosted refugees for many years, and we will continue to provide shelter to those seeking protection from conflicts in our region," she said. The UNHCR Representative also attended the GRF in Geneva. While in Geneva, the Vice President will also take part in the celebration of the UN's 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The Vice President's attendance at a UNHCR function is a significant political representation and commitment by the Government of Zambia to the Global Compact on Refugees.

• As of 31 January 2023, a total of 10,650 individuals (2,868 families) had cumulatively been repatriated since the second phase of the voluntary repatriation movements started in July 2022, and 10,851 individuals comprising 2,922 families since the first phase of the voluntary repatriation programme from Mantapala settlement started in December 2021.

• A meeting was organized on Tuesday, 5 December 2023, by the Zambia Civil Liberties Union (ZCLU), a local NGO, with Members of Parliament to discuss refugees and statelessness. Many MPs attended the session, asking several questions and expressing political concerns. Clarifications were provided to the concerns raised by the MPs. The UNHCR Representative, the Commissioner for Refugees (COR), and refugees attended the meeting. UNHCR, directly or through partners, will continue to engage different stakeholders to further the interest of the people we serve.

UNHCR and its education partner Caritas Czech Republic (CCR) completed the enrolment of 200 (males 123 and females 77) refugees at Cavendish University Zambia (CUZ) under the UNHCR/CUZ scholarships.

To date, a total of 3,053 Congolese refugees (1,078 households) have been relocated to Mantapala Refugee Settlement from Kenani Transit Centre. The most recent convoy was on Saturday 7 April 2018, with 303 individuals. The Government, through COR, has been leading the relocation exercises since they began earlier this year. As of now, all pregnant women and the chronically ill are not allowed to relocate due to the limited health services available in Mantapala Refugee Settlement and the harsh terrains that have to be crossed to get to the settlement. The poor state of the road between Nchelenge and Mantapala Refugee Settlement continues to be of concern to all stakeholders.

The relocation of 10,337 Congolese refugees from Kenani Transit Centre to Mantapala Refugee Settlement in Nchelenge District, Luapula province has now been completed. The relocation to Mantapala Settlement was part of the joint effort of the Government, UNHCR and partners to consolidate the refugee operation and ensure that Congolese arrivals have a permanent home and are able to gradually build their resilience. The relocation of all refugees from Kenani Transit Centre does not mean that it will be closed. According to the Government counterpart, the Office of the Commissioner for Refugees (COR), its assets – such as buildings - will be fenced to be further used as a transit centre in case of an influx from the DRC. Other important assets and infrastructure such as boreholes, a clinic, community schools, departure and food distribution points, will be continue to be used by the local community.

The registration of refugee families who wish to voluntarily repatriate continued in Mantapala settlement, with the cumulative number of individuals now registered for voluntary return standing at 11,031 comprising 2,698 families. The Resettlement Team in Zambia continued to submit cases to meet the 200 individual quota allocated by Finland with a possibility of over submission by a margin of 40 individuals to attain a total of 240. individuals. In coordination with partners, WFP distributed cash for monthly food assistance to 17,546 refugees (8,936 females and 8,610 males) in Mantapala settlement 297 new asylum-seekers arrived in Zambia in May mainly from the DRC. 47,911 Individuals were reached with messages on communicable diseases such as Covid-19 under Risk Communication. 14,376 Individuals received out-patient department (OPD) consultation services in May in the three refugee settlements and urban areas.

The registration of refugee families who wish to voluntarily repatriate continued in Mantapala settlement, with the cumulative number of individuals now registered for voluntary return standing at 11,031 comprising 2,698 families. The Resettlement Team in Zambia continued to submit cases to meet the 200 individual quota allocated by Finland with a possibility of over submission by a margin of 40 individuals to attain a total of 240. individuals. In coordination with partners, WFP distributed cash for monthly food assistance to 17,546 refugees (8,936 females and 8,610 males) in Mantapala settlement 297 new asylum-seekers arrived in Zambia in May mainly from the DRC. 47,911 Individuals were reached with messages on communicable diseases such as Covid-19 under Risk Communication. 14,376 Individuals received out-patient department (OPD) consultation services in May in the three refugee settlements and urban areas.

The Government of Zambia is leading and coordinating the refugee response in order to achieve its commitments towards the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) and the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF). Under the 2017 Refugee Act, the Office of the Commissioner for Refugees (COR), within the Ministry of Home Affairs, is mandated to deal with refugee matters. Thus, in 2018 Zambia adopted the mainstreaming approach, which requires that all line ministries including the Ministries of Agriculture (MoA), Health, Education and Community Services contribute to key sectors under the COR. The coordination of different sectors and partners is managed through interagency meetings at district and country levels. This is further strengthened through sectoral and bilateral interactions with distinct stakeholders. UNHCR is the primary interlocutor and lead Agency for refugee matters among UN agencies. To respond to the ongoing Congolese refugee crisis in a holistic and coordinated manner, the Government of Zambia constituted an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) composed of key line ministries. The IMC is comprised of the Ministry of Home Affairs (Chair), Office of the President, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Community Development and Social Services, Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of General Education, Minister of Luapula Province and the UN (RC and UNHCR). UNHCR works closely with the Office of the Commissioner for Refugees (COR) in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and other key government line ministries. UNHCR also works in partnership with the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) and the international non-governmental organizations (I-NGOs), such as Action Africa Help, Plan International, Caritas Czech Republic, CARE International and World Vision Zambia. Most of INGOs and UN agencies provide community-based protection and basic assistance to refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Mantapala settlement, northern Zambia. The Government of Zambia, UNHCR and partners also provide community-based protection and social support to persons of concern in Lusaka as well as the older refugee settlements of Meheba and Mayukwayukwa, in Western and North Western Provinces. The coordination and management of refugee settlements is led by the Government as per its mandate under the Refugee Act (Act No. 1 of 2017).