Protecting the Vulnerable: An IRC Brief on Displacement and TIP in Central Africa

Countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Burundi, Tanzania and Cameroon, and their neighbors, continue to face overlapping emergencies that are displacing millions, straining fragile systems and heightening protection risks for the most vulnerable populations.

Forced displacement in the region is both widespread and protracted. The DRC alone hosts over 7.8 million Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs), with significant cross-border movement into and out of Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. While some communities are returning to their areas of origin, many are doing so under unsafe and involuntary conditions. At the same time, host countries continue to absorb refugees despite limited resources, leading to overstretched services, saturated social infrastructure and rising tensions in local communities.

This situation is further compounded by the growing prevalence of TIP, which is both a consequence and driver of displacement. Prolonged insecurity, poverty and weakened state institutions have created fertile ground for trafficking networks to exploit displaced and vulnerable individuals. Women, children and unaccompanied minors are at particular risk of being trafficked for forced labor, sexual exploitation or recruitment by armed groups.1

The convergence of displacement and trafficking presents the urgent need for protection and policy solutions. This requires a coordinated, cross-border and survivor-centered response. At the same time, a major contraction in global funding for antitrafficking programs threatens to reverse years of progress. As TIP prevalence rises, frontline services such as survivor assistance, prevention programs, and legal support are being scaled back or halted entirely, leaving critical gaps in the regional protection framework.

This brief analyzes the current trends in forced displacement and trafficking across Central Africa, with a focus on root causes, emerging risks and opportunities for durable solutions. It highlights the need for sustained humanitarian support, integration strategies and stronger collaboration between governments, civil society and international actors.

The brief also presents information and data on the IRC’s work in the region, highlighting both emergency interventions and long-term solutions to the crisis. Without immediate and coordinated action, the region risks further instability, deeper exploitation, and the loss of hard-won development and protection gains.