Nine migrants deported from the United States landed in Sierra Leone early on Wednesday, the West African country’s ministry of information said.
The nine arrived at Sierra Leone’s international airport near the capital Freetown on Wednesday. Five are from Ghana, two from Guinea, one from Senegal and one from Nigeria, according to the ministry of information’s statement.
“All have been checked into their hosting facilities, are comfortable, and receiving the necessary support,” the statement read.
The ministry said 24 deportees were initially “expected” but didn’t provide details as to why only nine arrived on Wednesday.
US strikes deal with several African nations
Sierra Leone’s Foreign Minister Timothy Kabba told local media on Wednesday the government has agreed to temporarily receive migrants deported by the Trump administration, saying it only accepts West African nationals and that the agreement is supported by a $1.5 million grant from the US government.
The US has struck such third-country deportation deals with at least eight other African nations. Besides Sierra Leone, the other African nations that signed deals are DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, South Sudan, Rwanda, Uganda, Eswatini, Ghana and Cameroon.
The Trump administration has spent at least $40 million to deport more than 300 migrants to countries other than their own, according to a report released in February by the Democratic staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
