The Democratic Republic of Congo has agreed to accept migrants deported from the US who are not themselves Congolese under a deal effective from this month, officials said.
The Ministry of Communication said a temporary reception system had been set up, while facilities to accommodate arrivals had been selected in the capital, Kinshasa.
“Logistical and technical support” will be provided by the US, the statement on Sunday said, adding that the Congolese government would bear no financial cost for the scheme.
The government did not say how many deportees they would accept. The US has already sent deportees to several other countries in Africa as part of Washington’s crackdown on immigration.
Amid concerns that migrants could be returned to their home countries—where some fear persecution—Congolese officials said no such transfers are being planned.
The decision to receive what are known as third-country migrants—that is, those who come from neither the sending nor receiving nation - aligns with DR Congo’s commitment to human dignity, international solidarity and to protect the rights of migrants, the statement read.
The Congolese authorities also said that the scheme is not a “permanent relocation mechanism or an outsourcing of migration policies”.