Sierra Leone to Take in Hundreds of West Africans Deported by U.S., Minister Says

AFP

Foreign Minister Timothy Kabba.

Sierra Leone has agreed to accept hundreds of West African migrants being deported by the United States, Reuters reported, citing the country’s foreign minister.

The first flight of so-called third-country deportees is due to arrive in Sierra Leone on 20 May, Foreign Minister Timothy Kabba said, carrying 25 nationals from Senegal, Ghana, Guinea and Nigeria.

“Sierra Leone signed a Third Country National Agreement with the U.S. to accept 300 ECOWAS citizens from the U.S. per year with a ⁠maximum of 25 a month," Kabba said, referring to the West African regional bloc.

The U.S. has previously sent third-country deportees to African states including Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Eswatini, drawing criticism from legal experts and rights groups over the legal basis for the transfers and the treatment of deportees sent to countries where they are not nationals.

Kabba did not say what Sierra Leone would get in return for taking in the deportees.

“It’s part of our bilateral relationship with the U.S. to assist with its immigration policy," he ⁠said.

Source: Reuters



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