The first group of migrants deported from the United States under a recent bilateral agreement has arrived in the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to a migrant, a lawyer, and airport sources.
The aircraft, carrying deportees from Colombia, Peru and Ecuador, landed in Kinshasa at around 1 a.m. (0000 GMT), flight tracking data showed.
A Colombian woman among the group told Reuters there were 16 migrants on board—nine men and seven women—while an airport source estimated the number at 15. Congo’s interior ministry and a spokesperson for the presidency did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A U.S.-based lawyer representing one of the migrants, Alma David, said the lower-than-expected number of arrivals may have resulted from last-minute legal interventions. She said she was aware of at least three cases in which federal judges blocked removals.
The flight originated in Alexandria, Louisiana, and made stops in Dakar, Senegal, and Accra, Ghana, before reaching Kinshasa, according to tracking data.
One of the deportees described the journey as long but calm. “The flight was very calm. They treated us well and gave us enough food,” the Colombian migrant said on condition of anonymity. “It was very long, around 26 or 27 hours.”
This marks the first transfer of so-called third-country deportees to Congo under the agreement announced on April 5. Reuters previously reported that more than 30 migrants were expected to be deported this week, though it remains unclear how many will ultimately be sent.
The arrangement comes as Washington seeks to implement a U.S.-brokered peace initiative involving the Rwanda and Congo, aimed at ending conflict with Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in eastern Congo that has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands.
The deal also follows a strategic minerals partnership granting the United States preferential access to Congo’s critical resources.
Upon arrival, deportees were reportedly given a seven-day visa allowing free movement within Congo, extendable up to three months. They were also told they could apply for asylum, though officials warned that the country remains unsafe, according to the migrant.