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Congo-Kinshasa: DR Congo Will Receive Third-Country Deportees Under New Deal With U.S.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has started receiving third-country nationals deported from the US, with the first group of 15 arriving in Kinshasa. The temporary arrangement, funded by Washington, aligns with broader US efforts to secure a peace deal and access to Congolese minerals.

By Tertius News AI Desk 5 outlets · 8 articles Version 1 Coverage Apr 4–18, 2026 Published Aug 13

Lead

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has begun receiving third-country nationals deported from the United States under a temporary agreement with the Trump administration, with the first group of 15 people arriving in Kinshasa overnight Thursday to Friday, as reported by Al Jazeera and BBC News.

The Congolese Ministry of Communications announced earlier this month that the country would temporarily accept migrants deported from the US who are not Congolese nationals, with Washington covering all costs. The first arrivals, reportedly from Peru and Ecuador, landed at N'djili International Airport, according to a diplomatic source cited by Anadolu news agency and reported by Al Jazeera. The deportees include seven women, the source said.

Coverage Comparison

Coverage of the deal has been consistent across multiple outlets, including Al Jazeera, BBC News, Deutsche Welle, RFI, and AllAfrica. All reports confirm that the DRC will receive third-country nationals deported from the US under a temporary arrangement effective this month, with the US paying for all expenses.

However, some details vary. Al Jazeera and BBC News reported the arrival of the first group of 15 deportees, while Deutsche Welle and RFI noted that deportees would begin arriving this month without specifying numbers. RFI's earlier reporting, citing government sources, indicated that talks were ongoing and an agreement had not yet been finalized, a position later superseded by the government's official announcement.

Attributions of the deal's context differ slightly. Deutsche Welle, Al Jazeera, and RFI all link the agreement to the Trump administration's efforts to implement a peace deal between the DRC and Rwanda and to secure US access to Congolese critical minerals. BBC News, in one report, framed it within the broader US crackdown on immigration, while another BBC piece also mentioned the minerals context.

Key Claims

The DRC has agreed to receive third-country nationals deported from the US under a temporary arrangement, with Washington covering all costs, as stated by the Congolese Ministry of Communications and reported by multiple outlets.
The first group of 15 deportees arrived in Kinshasa on the night of Thursday to Friday, according to Al Jazeera and BBC News. The deportees are reportedly from Peru and Ecuador, per a diplomatic source cited by Anadolu, though this claim is carried by a single source and not independently verified.
The Congolese government has said the scheme is not a permanent relocation mechanism or an outsourcing of US immigration policy. Each case will be reviewed individually under Congolese law, as reported by BBC News and RFI.
The US has sent third-country deportees to several other African countries, including Ghana, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, and South Sudan, according to multiple reports.
The agreement coincides with US efforts to broker a peace deal between the DRC and Rwanda and to secure access to Congolese critical minerals, as reported by Deutsche Welle, Al Jazeera, and RFI.
The US has provided more than $32 million directly to five countries to receive deportees, a figure reported by BBC News citing official data.

Perspectives

Congolese Government

The government in Kinshasa frames the agreement as a reflection of the country's "commitment to human dignity and international solidarity," emphasizing that it is temporary and that the US will bear all costs. Officials stress that the scheme is not a permanent relocation mechanism and that each case will be reviewed individually.

US Administration

The Trump administration has not directly commented on the DRC deal, but the State Department stated it remains "unwavering" in its "commitment to end illegal and mass immigration and bolster America's border security," as quoted by BBC News. The administration has pursued third-country deportation agreements as part of its broader immigration crackdown.

Legal Experts and Rights Groups

Legal experts and human rights groups have criticized third-country deportation agreements, questioning their legal basis and the treatment of deportees sent to countries where they are not nationals. Some deportees have been returned to their home countries despite court-ordered protection in the US, according to RFI. Rights groups have also raised concerns about the human rights records of participating nations.

Deportees and Their Representatives

US lawyer Alma David, representing one of the deportees, said all deportees are from Latin America and are believed to have legal protection from US judges preventing their return to home countries. The Congolese government plans to keep them in the country for a short period, David told The Associated Press, as reported by Al Jazeera.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the DRC asked the UN agency for humanitarian assistance with the migrants, with IOM offering assistance based on needs assessments.

This article was compiled from reporting by Al Jazeera, BBC News, Deutsche Welle, RFI, and AllAfrica. Some details, particularly the nationalities of the first deportees, rely on a single source and have not been independently verified.