Sierra Leone US deportees arrived in Freetown as the country joined African nations accepting migrants expelled by the United States
Sierra Leone became the latest African nation to receive migrants expelled from the United States on Wednesday after a plane carrying nine West African deportees landed at the international airport near Freetown.
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Foreign Minister Timothy Musa Kabba confirmed the arrival, saying the migrants were deported under the United States immigration crackdown led by President Donald Trump.
“We have received nine deportees this morning from the US,” Kabba told AFP after earlier indicating that 25 migrants were expected.
Authorities said the deportees were nationals of Nigeria, Ghana, Guinea and Senegal.
Police officers, medical personnel and government officials were deployed at the airport to receive the group, which included seven men and two women.
The migrants were later escorted in a police convoy to temporary accommodation.
According to health ministry official Doris Bah, many of the deportees appeared emotionally distressed after prolonged detention in the United States.
“All were traumatised due to the months in chains during detention in the US,” Bah said, adding that most of the migrants expressed a desire to return to their countries of origin.
Bah further disclosed that some of the deportees were reportedly arrested while at work, on the streets or during recreational activities in the United States before being detained.
The migrants are expected to remain in Sierra Leone temporarily before repatriation arrangements are completed within two weeks.
The arrival forms part of a broader agreement under which Sierra Leone has reportedly agreed to receive up to 300 migrants annually from member states of the Economic Community of West African States.
Kabba said some of the deportees already held Sierra Leonean residence permits obtained years earlier, giving them the legal right to remain in the country for up to 90 days before returning home.
The United States is reportedly providing $1.5 million in financial assistance to support the programme’s operational and humanitarian costs.
The latest transfer places Sierra Leone among a growing list of African countries receiving migrants deported by the United States, including Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Rwanda and South Sudan.
Human rights groups have criticised the growing arrangements between Washington and African governments.
Human Rights Watch previously described such agreements as “opaque deals” that risk violating international human rights standards.
Also read: Nigeria, UK sign controversial deportation deal
The expansion of the deportation programme has intensified debate over migration policy, detention practices and the responsibilities of receiving countries across Africa.
