Sierra Leone becomes latest African country to receive deportees from US
Under an agreement between Sierra Leone and the United States, Freetown has become the latest African country to receive deportees who are nationals of third countries. The first flight landed at the weekend carrying 25 people. Human rights organisations raised concerns; the Sierra Leone government said it had agreed in exchange for financial and technical support.
The African dimension of US deportation policy under the Trump administration is broadening. The Sierra Leone government confirmed it had signed an agreement with Washington under which the country accepts third-country nationals deported by the United States. The first flight landed at Lungi airport last weekend; the 25 people on board are mostly nationals of Caribbean, Latin American and Southeast Asian countries.
In a signed statement, Sierra Leone Foreign Minister Timothy Kabba said the agreement was concluded in exchange for "financial and technical support worth 30 million dollars annually". Under its terms, each deportee will be provided temporary housing, health screening and legal advice in Sierra Leone. With this deal, the Trump administration has now brought a fourth African country into the practice, after Eswatini, Rwanda and Liberia.
The rights organisation Amnesty International and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees warned that the arrangement could "sit at odds with the asylum framework". In Sierra Leone, opposition parties and civil society groups have raised constitutional objections, saying the agreement was signed without parliamentary debate. Court proceedings and public reaction could slow implementation.
More from Africa
Ebola vaccine could take nine months as death toll rises further, WHO warns
The World Health Organization said the death toll in the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has risen to 165 and warned an effective vaccine targeting the current strain could take up to nine months to be available. The outbreak is spreading faster than in past years.
DRC health minister warns 'very high' Ebola lethality rate as toll hits 80
The health minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo warned that the lethality rate of an Ebola outbreak in the country's east is exceptionally high. The official death toll has reached 80, and local authorities flag a shortage of treatment-centre capacity.
Mali junta leader names himself defence minister after predecessor killed
Mali's military junta leader has assumed the role of defence minister after his predecessor, Sadio Camara, was killed in a major offensive by combined jihadist and separatist forces.