Africa. Since early 2025, Belgium has seen a significant increase in asylum applications from citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo, even as authorities emphasize that a large percentage of these applications are rejected for failing to meet eligibility criteria.
According to official data, the number of applications submitted by the end of October reached 2,120, exceeding the total recorded for all of 2024.
This figure reflects a steady upward trend that began in 2021, when only 363 applications were filed — a number that has nearly doubled each year since, according to Radio France Internationale.
Currently, the DR Congo ranks fourth among the countries whose citizens apply for asylum in Belgium, following Afghanistan, Palestine, and Eritrea, and ahead of Turkey, Syria, and Burundi.
However, the recognition rate for Congolese asylum seekers remains relatively low, placing them tenth among nationalities granted international protection this year.
Freddy Roosemont, head of Belgium’s Immigration Office, stated that most applications from Congolese citizens are based on “false claims,” referring to what he described as exaggerated or fabricated reasons for seeking asylum.
The Congolese opposition, however, rejects this interpretation, arguing that Brussels overlooks the country’s repressive political and security environment, which continues to endanger opponents of the government.
