Nine individuals from West African nations arrived in Sierra Leone Wednesday aboard a deportation flight from the United States, marking the beginning of a new agreement between the two countries.
Foreign Minister Timothy Kabba confirmed to Reuters the previous week that Sierra Leone has committed to accepting up to 300 West African migrants annually who face deportation from the United States, with monthly arrivals capped at 25 people.
The group that landed Wednesday consisted of seven men and two women originally from Ghana, Senegal, Guinea and Nigeria, according to Patrick Robin, who leads Kenvah Solutions, the private company contracted to provide housing for the deportees at two hotels located near the airport.
The duration of the deportees’ stay in Sierra Leone remains uncertain, as a government spokesperson has not responded to inquiries for clarification. “We will look after them in a dignified and comfortable way for up to two weeks,” Robin stated, noting that under “exceptional circumstances” some individuals might remain at the facilities for 30 days.
This West African-only deportee arrangement mirrors a similar agreement with Ghana. Reuters has documented cases where deportees sent to Ghana, Equatorial Guinea and other African nations were subsequently compelled to return to their countries of origin, despite having received court-ordered protection in the United States designed to prevent such outcomes.
While Robin indicated that “most of” Wednesday’s arrivals expressed a desire to return home, a Reuters observer noted that at least one deportee appeared reluctant to exit the aircraft before being convinced to do so.
What Sierra Leone receives in return for accepting these deportees remains unclear.
A February report from Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee revealed that while the total expense of third-country removals is unknown, over $32 million has been directly transferred to five nations — Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, El Salvador, Eswatini and Palau.
A State Department spokesperson declined to provide comment on the matter.
