Sierra Leone to Accept Up to 300 US Deportees Under Third Country Deal

Sierra Leone has agreed to accept hundreds of West African migrants who are being deported from the United States under a “third country” arrangement, its foreign minister said. Timothy Kabba said the first flight carrying 25 deportees is scheduled to arrive in Sierra Leone on May 20. The group will include nationals from Senegal, Ghana, Guinea and Nigeria.

Under the Third Country National Agreement signed with the United States, Sierra Leone will take in up to 300 citizens of countries in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) per year, with a cap of 25 people per month. Kabba said the arrangement is part of bilateral cooperation on immigration matters, adding, “Its part of our bilateral relationship with the U.S. to assist with its immigration policy.”

Kabba did not specify what Sierra Leone would receive in return for taking in the deportees. A government spokesperson did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

The deal comes as the United States has expanded third-country removals to other countries in Africa, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Eswatini. Legal experts and rights groups have criticized...