Sierra Leone to accept US deportees from West Africa

Sierra Leone has agreed to accept hundreds of West African migrants deported by the United States, Foreign Minister Timothy Kabba told Reuters.

The first flight will arrive in Sierra Leone on May 20, Kabba said. It will transport nationals from Senegal, Ghana, Guinea and Nigeria. He did not say how many deportees would be on the flight.

Kabba said Sierra Leone signed a Third Country National Agreement with the US to accept 300 ECOWAS citizens per year, with a maximum of 25 per month.

The US has previously sent deportees to several African countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, South Sudan and Eswatini.

Kabba described the arrangement as part of Sierra Leone’s bilateral relationship with the US to assist with its immigration policy. He did not say what Sierra Leone would receive in return.

It is unclear whether deportees sent to Sierra Leone will be allowed to stay there.

A report published in February by Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said the total cost of third-country removals was unknown, but more than $32 million had been sent directly to five countries, including Equatorial Guinea and Eswatini.

SOURCE: Reuters