1st group of migrants deported from US arrive in DR Congo

The first group of migrants deported from the US has arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo under a deal reached with Washington, a diplomatic source said Friday.

The development comes weeks after the Congolese government announced earlier this month that it had agreed to provide “temporary reception” for deported migrants from the US.

“The plane with the first group of 15 migrants from the US landed in Kinshasa Friday night after a stopover in Accra, Ghana,” the source told Anadolu.

“The first group that includes seven women, is made up of nationals from Peru, and Ecuador.”

Congo joined other African countries including Rwanda, Uganda, Eswatini, Ghana, and South Sudan, which have since 2025 accepted to take deportees as US President Donald Trump’s administration turned to Africa as a destination for migrants from the US.

Kinshasa said the arrangement is temporary and does not amount to permanent settlement, relocation, or the outsourcing of migration policy.

The agreement with Congo came as Washington mediates between Congo and Rwanda over the conflict in eastern Congo, including tensions surrounding the M23 rebel group.