The United States Department of State regularly keeps citizens abreast of potential overseas travel issues through its travel advisories database.
The database updates every time the Department of State announces a new travel warning or changes the level of possible danger for a country already on the list. On Tuesday, the government added a “Level 3” advisory for one African nation.
A “Level 3” advisory, which is the second-highest that can be issued, asks Americans to “reconsider” travel to a particular country or area, in this case the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Crime and civil unrest are the reasons for the new warning.
Within the DRC, there are several regions under “Level 4” advisories, meaning Americans are being told not to travel to at all.
They are as follows, along with the reasons for danger:
- North and South Kivu provinces due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, armed conflict, and kidnapping.
- Ituri province due to crime, civil unrest, terrorism, armed conflict, and kidnapping.
- Tanganyika, Haut Lomami, and the 3 Kasai provinces (Kasai, Kasai-Oriental, Kasai-Central) due to crime, civil unrest, armed conflict, and kidnapping.
- Mai-Ndombe province due to ethnic/communal violence.
DRC threats are real and numerous
The official announcement by the Department of State lists an eye-opening number of potential hazards for travelers. For one, violent crime is “common” in the DRC, including “armed robbery, armed home invasion, and assault.”
Making matters worse, local police are ill-equipped to deal with the crime problem, and in some cases, assailants may even pose as law enforcement or security personnel.
“DRC law enforcement does not always inform the U.S. embassy when they arrest a U.S. citizen,” the State Department added. “They may also delay access to detained or charged U.S. citizens. DRC law enforcement has used violence and threats during interrogations.”
Political violence and protests are also common, sometimes leading to the arrest and detainment of demonstrators.
Lastly, there also limits to the diplomatic and consular assistance the United States can provide citizens traveling in the DRC.
What to do if you’re heading to the Congo
By now, it should be obvious that you don’t want to go to the DRC under any circumstances, but if for some reason you have to, the Department of State has some guidelines to follow.
Among them are:
- Avoid demonstrations and crowds.
- Use caution when walking or driving.
- Always have a photocopy of your U.S. passport and DRC visa.
- Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts from the U.S Embassy.
- If arrested, immediately ask authorities to notify the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa.
- Prepare a plan for emergency situations.
- Visit the CDC website for pertinent travel health information.
If you want to the read the Department of State’s full travel advisory for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, click here.
