US expels 15 migrants to Kinshasa amid opaque DR Congo deal

Fifteen migrants expelled from the United States arrived in Kinshasa early today after landing just before midnight at Ndjili airport on a flight from the US, the UN confirmed. Seven women and eight men, reportedly from Peru and Ecuador, were the first group under a new expulsion deal between Washington and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has been asked by the Congolese government to provide humanitarian assistance to the arrivals, including possible assisted voluntary return if requested.

The arrangement is part of a broader US immigration crackdown that has seen foreigners sent to several African nations, with the DRC deal linked to negotiations over access to the country’s mineral resources and US-mediated talks on ending conflict in eastern DRC. Sources say further groups of about fifty migrants per month are expected, though the total number Kinshasa will accept remains unclear. The DRC announced a temporary reception system for third-country nationals in early April, stating that the US would cover logistical costs while the Congolese treasury bears no expense; police have been stationed at one suspected reception site near the airport.

Most Kinshasa residents lack reliable water or electricity, and nearly three-quarters of Congolese live below the poverty line. Human Rights Watch has warned that such opaque deportation agreements violate international law.

Given the limited transparency and the migrants’ uncertain futures, what safeguards should be enforced to protect their rights, and is the DRC’s role as a reception point a sustainable strategy amid its own development challenges?

SOURCE: https://www.channelstv.com/2026/04/17/15-migrants-expelled-from-us-arrive-in-dr-congo/