The Democratic Republic of the Congo finds itself at the center of a new sensitive issue in its relations with France. Paris is considering making part of its official development assistance conditional on the cooperation of several African countries in the fight against illegal immigration to Mayotte. The DRC is among the countries concerned by this mechanism.
This French policy direction was announced in late August by French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu during his visit to Mayotte. Paris wants to establish a “bonus-malus” mechanism that would take into account the level of cooperation of the countries concerned in the fight against smuggling networks, the issuance of consular laissez-passers, and the readmission of their nationals residing illegally.
The DRC, a New Country of Origin for Migrants
Migration to Mayotte is undergoing a significant shift. While the Comoros have historically been the main country of origin for migrants arriving on this French island in the Indian Ocean, Congolese nationals now account for a significant share of asylum applications.
According to data reported by Le Monde, Congolese nationals represented approximately half of the asylum applications registered in Mayotte in 2025.
In 2025, 1,023 asylum applications from Congolese nationals were registered there. During the first eight months of 2026, the number had already reached 1,005 applications.
Some of these migrants come notably from North Kivu and South Kivu, regions that have faced armed conflict and population displacement for several years.
Development Aid as a Means of Pressure
For Paris, the objective is now to make migration cooperation a component of its relationship with the countries concerned.
France therefore intends to use its official development assistance as leverage to obtain greater cooperation in controlling migration flows.
The French government nevertheless maintains that humanitarian aid directly intended for vulnerable populations would not be affected.
This new approach could, however, have economic and diplomatic implications for the DRC, particularly at a time when Kinshasa is seeking to strengthen its international partnerships and mobilize additional financing for its development.
An Issue That Goes Beyond Mayotte
Beyond the migration issue, the situation reveals another dimension of the crisis in eastern DRC.
Insecurity and socio-economic difficulties continue to push some populations to seek new opportunities outside the country.
For Kinshasa, the challenge now lies in responding to French concerns over migration while preventing the issue from weakening cooperation and development assistance mechanisms.
The matter could therefore open a new chapter in relations between the DRC and France, in which migration, economic, security, and development issues are becoming increasingly interconnected.
MB – LE MONDE
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