Launch day of the ‘CIDRA’ project activities at the Official University of Bukavu - Monday, 26 May 2025

To introduce today’s meeting, began with a word of thanks to the guests who had come to the meeting, followed by the singing of the national anthem and that of UOB. This was followed by the singing of the national anthem and the UOB anthem. After this, the participants were welcomed and the programme for the day was presented.With regard to the point concerning the presentation of the CIDRA project, the floor was given to the Co-ordinator, who described the project.

Panel-café CIDRA by students from the International Relations Department

This stage was led by students from the International Relations Department, who led a typical reflection on migration between Africa and Europe as a necessity for mutually beneficial governance.  During the presentation, the students showed that in the age of globalisation, mobility is considered to be one of the salient features of international relations; this realism can be observed in relations between Europe and Africa. Hence the need to examine the historical and structural causes determining African migration to Europe, the inequalities in treatment between African migration to Europe and European migration to Africa, migration for development as an alternative to clandestine migration, and to conclude with migration from the perspective of human rights as a shared global responsibility.

The root causes of African migration to Europe lie in the history of contacts between Africa and Europe. Before European colonisation, Africa was not just a source of slaves for the coffee and sugar cane plantations in the Caribbean and America. Captured slaves were sent to Portugal, Spain and, to a lesser extent, France and Italy to work as domestic servants, court musicians or agricultural labourers. Today, the regional security crises in the Sahel since NATO’s intervention in Libya in 2011 and the conflicts in the Great Lakes region, particularly in the east of the DRC, as well as the presence of terrorist groups such as El Shabab in the Horn of Africa, are all factors accelerating the forced migration of Africans to Europe.

In addition, there is now an asymmetrical dimension to the treatment of migrants, depending on their origin. Europeans who settle in Africa often enjoy the status of ‘expatriates, investors or reliable partners’, with easier access to economic opportunities, mobility and social recognition. This trend began during the colonial era, when some African countries were colonial settlements for some Europeans. By contrast, African migrants in Europe face segregation and stigmatisation.

Furthermore, there is currently an asymmetrical dimension to the treatment of migrants depending on their origin. Europeans who settle in Africa often enjoy the status of ‘expatriates, investors or reliable partners’, with easier access to economic opportunities, mobility and social recognition. This trend began during the colonial era, when some African countries were colonial settlements for some Europeans. On the other hand, African migrants in Europe face increasing segregation and stigmatisation in the media, and sometimes repressive migration policies. In short, it is sometimes clear that African hospitality contrasts with the increasing closure of European borders, raising the question of universal migratory justice based on equal treatment.

Considering the weight of illegal immigration towards Europe, which has increased in recent decades by taking perilous maritime routes on the Mediterranean Sea towards the Italian islands of Lampedusa and Sicily or the Spanish islands of Ceuta and Melilla ; as well as other perilous routes located on the southern side of the Indian Ocean on their way to Mayotte, a French overseas territory. It is important to note that these clandestine migration routes cause drownings of African stowaways and others suffer inhumane treatment at the hands of smugglers. Faced with the risks of irregular migration, it is becoming urgent to propose viable alternatives, centred on legal migration, professional mobility agreements and the creation of local opportunities. Moreover, the Global Compact for Safe Migration signed in 2018 recommends broadening legal channels to reduce dependence on informal networks.

In view of the tragedies, the harmful effects and the positive benefits of migration, it should be noted that, at global level, the era of migratory justice is upon us. Dealing with the migration issue must be based on a global and ethical approach, founded on the shared responsibility of countries of origin, transit and destination. Migration can no longer be approached solely as a security problem, as the extremist European political parties say, but must be seen more as a fundamental human right in terms of freedom of movement, settlement and return, as stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Hence the need to rethink the economic inequalities created by globalisation, which drive some Africans to migrate without any real choice. The fight against poverty, education and good governance in Africa are levers for preventing forced migration. On the other hand, Europe should also look at itself, particularly in the light of its responsibilities in unequal trade, its support for autocratic regimes and the plundering of natural resources by Western multinationals.

Observations and recommendations of the participants

For the participants at the meeting, the selection of UOB as the university representing the Democratic Republic of Congo is a great joy, because the project is of great international significance insofar as it falls within the key development sectors of the Democratic Republic of Congo, in general, and of the Official University of Bukavu, in particular. They hoped that the CIDRA project would work harder to achieve its very ambitious objectives, by looking at the real problems affecting both the University and the country. The participants also recommended that the CIDRA project should take into account the interests of UOB, in particular those of the students and the whole community, so that the project would be truly beneficial in the short, medium and long term. In general, the participants welcomed the project’s initiative to reorientate the focus on Europe-Africa issues in a new way, and hoped that the project would be truly centred on the interests of both continents.