This study examines the implementation of prisoners’ right to health at Bunia Central Prison in the Democratic Republic of Congo between 2020 and 2023. The research is based on a legal and empirical approach combining the analysis of national legal provisions governing prisoners’ health rights and statistical data collected from the prison administration and prison health services. The legal framework recognizes health as a fundamental human right applicable to all persons, including detainees. Congolese legislation provides guarantees regarding medical care, hygiene, nutrition, accommodation, disease prevention, and access to health services in correctional institutions. However, the empirical findings reveal significant challenges affecting the effective realization of these rights. The study shows a persistent prison overcrowding problem. During the period under review, the prison population increased from 1,384 detainees in 2020 to 2,313 detainees in 2023, despite an initial capacity estimated at 500 inmates. The collected data further indicate several deaths linked to various illnesses as well as cases of mental health deterioration among detainees. The findings also highlight deficiencies in nutrition, hygiene conditions, infrastructure, and access to adequate healthcare services. The study concludes that despite the existence of a relatively protective legal framework, substantial gaps remain between legal standards and actual prison conditions. It recommends strengthening prison health services, improving detention conditions, reducing overcrowding, and enhancing public investment in the penitentiary system to ensure effective protection of detainees’ right to health.

The Mbororo, Fulani pastoralists originally from the Central African Republic, Sudan and Chad, have migrated en masse to the territories of Ango, Poko and Bondo (Bas-Uélé, DRC) since the 2000s, with around 15,000 people and 500,000 head of cattle in 2010, thereby altering the local demographics. A study (2004–2011) analyses this controversy using the MOFF framework, interviews (a sample of 350 people: Mbororo, government officials, civil society representatives and indigenous communities) and direct observations. Threats include water pollution, ecosystem degradation, agricultural destruction, illicit mining (gold, diamonds), community tensions, the circulation of weapons and terrorist risks (alleged links to the LRA). Opportunities relate to increased demand for meat, milk and agricultural produce. Strengths: Territorial integrity maintained, Mbororo loyalty to the authorities. Weaknesses: Porous borders, lack of population registration, impunity and absence of controls. Register/regularise/expel irregular migrants, strengthen borders and combat illegal immigration, the Mbororo must respect the law and avoid conflicts.

During the colonial period, the indigénat policy, characterized by a discriminatory system imposed by Belgium, had enabled the colonial authorities to confine rural populations to their villages, restricting their movement in order to exploit rubber resources and develop infrastructure. Faced with the need to provide the urban workforce with decent housing, the colonial administration in the former Belgian Congo introduced a housing policy that involved either granting loans for the construction of houses using durable building materials or constructing entire residential neighborhoods for the population. In the 1950s, urban challenges compelled Léopoldville to undergo significant transformation and expand southward and eastward. The city embarked on the occupation of new land for urban development. Urban planning programs were implemented, leading to the proliferation of residential settlements known as Limete, Matete, Ndjili (Neighborhood 1 only), Bandalungwa, Kasa-Vubu, and Kalamu. Furthermore, the housing developments established in the municipalities of Lemba and Matete, as well as in part of Ndjili, were designed to accommodate employees working in the industries of Limete and at Lovanium University. However, following the country's independence, the absence of a rational and planned housing policy, uncontrolled rural-to-urban migration, and the rapid population growth experienced by the city of Kinshasa led to a severe housing crisis and the proliferation of unsanitary neighborhoods (De Saint Moulin, 2014). Faced with these mounting challenges and with the aim of providing decent housing for vulnerable families in Kinshasa, in particular, Marie Olive Lembe Kabila[1] initiated the construction of the residential development bearing her name, located in the Sicotra/Lokali neighborhood of the N'Sele municipality. This development constitutes the central focus of this scientific publication.