Responses to Information Requests

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada

1. Service Passport

According to the EU's Public Register of Authentic Identity and Travel Documents Online (PRADO), the current service passport of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was first issued in 2009 and is valid for a maximum of five years (EU 1 July 2021). According to the Reciprocity Schedule published by the US Department of State for the DRC, a new version of the passport is embedded with a chip containing biodata information (US n.d.). Similarly, according to Keesing's Documentchecker, a version of the service passport with a contactless chip embedded in the back cover, in accordance with the requirements stipulated by the UN's International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), was first issued in 2016 (Keesing Technologies n.d.). According to the same source, the 2016 passport is valid for a period of five years (Keesing Technologies n.d.). According to the US Reciprocity Schedule, only passports with a chip (biometric passports) issued since November 2015 are considered valid (US n.d.). The same source specifies that semi-biometric service passports are not valid if they were issued outside of the capital Kinshasa or have a date of issue before 25 February 2000 (US n.d.).

1.1 Appearance and Security Features

According to sources, the DRC service passport is a 32-page booklet measuring 125 mm by 88 mm (Keesing Technologies n.d.; EU 1 July 2021). Sources specify that the passport cover is green (US n.d.; EU 1 July 2021), flexible, and made of plastic, with hot foil stamping (EU 1 July 2021). The US Department of State adds that the words "République démocratique du Congo" are printed on the passport cover in gold letters, and that national emblems and a ribbon with the words "Justice, paix, travail" are also printed in gold (US n.d.). The same source specifies that the type of passport is indicated on the bottom front cover with the words "Passeport de service" (US n.d.).

According to Keesing's Documentchecker, the following biographical information is provided on pages 2 and 3 of the passport:

• Page 2: address, occupation, bearer's signature and authority's signature;
• Page 3: type of passport, issuing country, passport number, last name, first name, date of birth, nationality, date of issue, expiry date, place of birth, personal number, and issuing authority (Keesing Technologies s.d.).

The PRADO specifies that the biodata page also has the following security features:

• Watermark;
• Colour photo (facial image) of the passport holder;
• Duplication of the same photo ([EU English version] "ghost" image);
• Leopard heads visible under ultraviolet light (EU 1 July 2021).

Keesing's Documentchecker reports that other security features on biodata page include microprinting, nanoprinting, a holographic laminate, and a collation mark (Keesing Technologies n.d.). A sample of the DRC service passport is available on the PRADO's website (EU 1 July 2021).

2. Obtaining a Service Passport for MEDD Employees

According to the US Department of State, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the issuing government authority for all DRC passports (US n.d.).

2.1 Required Documentation and Procedure

Information on the documentation required and the procedure for obtaining a service passport, including by MEDD employees, could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

The US Reciprocity Schedule indicates that the procedure for obtaining a passport (regular, service or diplomatic) includes filing an application at a National Intelligence Agency (Agence nationale de renseignements, ANR) office (US n.d.). As for the documentation required, the same source adds that the applicant must include the following with their application:

• Police certificate;
• Two passport-size photographs and fingerprints captured at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
• Proof of identity, such as a national ID or an old passport;
• Proof of nationality, such as a birth certificate or nationality certificate (US n.d.).

For further information on the biometric passport, including the requirements and procedure for obtaining one, see Response to Information Request COD106122 of July 2018.

3. Mission Orders
3.1 Legislation and Signing Authority

Articles 34 and 35 of Order No. 20/016 of 27 March 2020 on the Organization and Functioning of the Government, Terms of Collaboration between the President of the Republic and the Government, as well as between Members of the Government (Ordonnance n°20/016 du 27 mars 2020 portant sur l'organisation et le fonctionnement du Gouvernement, modalités de collaboration entre le Président de la République et le Gouvernement ainsi qu'entre les Membres du Gouvernement), provide the following:

[translation]

Article 34

The Prime Minister shall seek the prior approval of the President of the Republic when planning to undertake official missions and private travel within or outside the country.

The other members of the Government may undertake official missions and private travel within or outside the country. Their official missions are subject to a mission order signed by the Prime Minister.

Mission orders shall be submitted for signature at least seven (7) days before the date of departure and, in the case of ministers who do not have deputy ministers, shall be accompanied by a proposal for an acting appointment. Mission departures may proceed only if the Minister serving in an acting capacity has been appointed. All mission extensions must be pre-authorized by the Prime Minister.

Private travel is subject to authorization by the Prime Minister.

Members of the Government must notify the Prime Minister in writing of travel within the country on weekends and public holidays or non-work days for the purpose of focusing on agricultural activities or population management.

The President of the Republic is to be given advance notice of missions or private travel undertaken by other members of the Government.

Deputy Prime Ministers, Ministers of State, Ministers, Ministers Delegate, and Deputy Ministers are required to provide the Prime Minister with their full contact information during their absence.

They must be reachable at all times.

Article 35

Any mission with the purpose of participating in an international meeting or a negotiation likely to engage the State is subject to the submission of a technical file to the Council of Ministers, along with a copy to the President of the Republic for information purposes.

In case of emergency, the Prime Minister may waive this requirement.

At the end of each official mission, the members of the Government are required to report on the mission to the Prime Minister within four (4) days following the end of the mission. A copy of said report is reserved for the President of the Republic.

The missions of members of the Government are proposed and scheduled during budget development and are undertaken progressively based on the availability of funds.

They must not be charged to the companies or organizations under the supervision of the Ministry concerned.

However, in the interests of the Republic and where required, the members of the Government may carry out missions not provided for in the budget upon authorization of the Prime Minister, who shall give advance notice to the President of the Republic. (DRC 2020)

A mission order signed by the President of the National Assembly, Christophe Mboso, designating nine Congolese parliamentarians to take part in an election observation mission in the Republic of Zambia from 5 to 14 August 2021, a copy of which is included in a media article by Media Congo Press and Médiacongo.net, two news portals in the DRC, contains the following information:

• DRC seal in the upper left corner
• Document title indicating the order number
• List of the people designated to take part in the mission
• Location, subject, duration, departure and return dates, fees, and means of transportation of the mission
• Signature, location and date of the signature, and name of the signing authority (Media Congo Press and Médiacongo.net 5 Aug. 2021).

3.2 Implementation

Various cases reported by media sources described in the paragraphs that follow address the implementation of mission orders issued by the respective provincial and federal government offices:

According to a letter from an NGO coalition to the governor, a mission order issued by the office of the governor of the Nord-Kivu province in August 2021 delegated 10 individuals to identify [translation] "over" 1,200 hectares of Virunga National Park for the purposes of "spoliation" (L'INTERVIEW.CD 13 Aug. 2021; Radio Okapi 14 Aug. 2021).

Directorate General of Migration (Direction générale d'Immigration, DGM) services prevented the DRC's Minister of Employment, Labour and Social Welfare and Minister of Mines from leaving N'djili Airport in Kinshasa on 10 November 2020; the ministers were to travel to the Congolese cities of Kalemie and Kisangani, respectively (Media Congo Press 10 Nov. 2020; Radio Okapi 11 Nov. 2020) to undertake service missions (Radio Okapi 11 Nov. 2020). Media Congo Press reports that, according to people close to them, the two ministers had mission orders signed by the Prime Minister (Media Congo Press 10 Nov. 2020). Radio Okapi, the UN radio network in the DRC (Radio Okapi 22 Sept. 2014), indicates that, according to [translation] "sources of the Presidency of the Republic," the President had not been given advance notice of the travel plans and therefore, the ministers had failed to comply with the provisions of the Order [No. 20/016] of 27 March 2020 (Radio Okapi 11 Nov. 2020).

Media sources report that the Director General of the Multimodal Freight and Management Office (Office de gestion et de fret multimodal, OGEFREM) was suspended by the Ministry of Transport in July 2021 due to several grievances in relation to the performance of his public duties (Radio Okapi 19 July 2021; 7sur7.cd [12 July 2021]), including one for having travelled outside the country without obtaining a mission order from the Minister (Radio Okapi 19 July 2021), or for not having complied with the directives decreed by the Minister [translation] "concerning his going on leave at the exact same time of six service missions to be undertaken over 29 days outside the country" (7sur7.cd [12 July 2021]).

Information on the link between the issuing of mission orders and the issuing of service passports could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

7sur7.cd. [12 July 2021]. Orly-Darel Ngiambukulu. "OGEFREM : Le DG Patient Sayiba suspendu pour 'insubordination'." [Accessed 22 Oct. 2021]

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). 2020. Ordonnance n°20/016 du 27 mars 2020 portant organisation et fonctionnement du Gouvernement, modalités de collaboration entre le Président de la République et le Gouvernement ainsi qu'entre les Membres du Gouvernement. [Accessed 22 Oct. 2021]

European Union (EU). 1 July 2021. Public Register of Authentic Identity and Travel Documents Online (PRADO). "Document: COD-AS-01001." [Accessed 6 Oct. 2021]

L'INTERVIEW.CD. 13 August 2021. Mérite Bahogwerhe Jean Paul. "Probable spoliation d'une partie du Parc des Virunga : 191 ONGs environnementales montent au créneau." [Accessed 21 Oct. 2021]

Keesing Technologies. N.d. Keesing Documentchecker. "Congo, Democratic Republic – COD – Service Passport 2016." [Accessed 6 Oct. 2021]

Media Congo Press. 10 November 2020. Eric Wemba. "Néné Nkulu, Willy Kitobo, deux ministres en mission empêchés de quitter Kinshasa." [Accessed 20 Oct. 2021]

Media Congo Press and Médiacongo.net. 5 August 2021. "Élections en Zambie : Une délégation congolaise en mission d'observation." [Accessed 20 Oct. 2021]

Radio Okapi. 14 August 2021. "Nord-Kivu : 190 ONG environnementales dénoncent une tentative de spoliation du Parc national des Virunga." [Accessed 20 Oct. 2021]

Radio Okapi. 19 July 2021. "Suspension du DG de l'OGEFREM : 'Le ministre a agi en conformité avec les lois'."[Accessed 20 Oct. 2021]

Radio Okapi. 11 November 2020. "RDC : Les ministres Nkulu et Kitobo n'avaient pas respecté les procédures légales pour voyager (Présidence)." [Accessed 20 Oct. 2021]

Radio Okapi. 22 September 2014. "À propos." [Accessed 22 Oct. 2021]

United States (US). N.d. Department of State. "Democratic Republic of the Congo (D.R.C.) Reciprocity Schedule." [Accessed 6 Oct. 2021]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Belgium – Commissariat général aux réfugiés et aux apatrides, Centre de documentation et de recherches (Cedoca); Central African Forest Initiative; Democratic Republic of the Congo – embassy in Paris, embassy in Ottawa, embassy in Washington, DC, Direction générale de Migration, ministère de l'Environnement et développement durable, Permanent Mission to the United Nations; Friends of the Congo; full professor at an American university conducting research on post-conflict and post-disaster societies, fragile states, and foreign aid organizations in various countries, such as the DRC; Kinshasa International Airport-N'Djili; law firms in the DRC (3); senior lecturer in migration studies at a UK university whose research focuses on the study of the links between migration, mobility and development processes in the context of migration in Africa; La Voix des sans voix pour les droits de l'homme.

Internet sites, including: Agence congolaise de presse; ecoi.net; The Guardian; Jeune Afrique; La Libre Afrique; Radio France internationale; Reuters ; UN – UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, International Civil Aviation Organization, Refworld.