Congo to receive first group of deportees from US this week

Democratic Republic of Congo is set to receive more than 30 deportees from the United States this week, four sources told Reuters, the latest example of

Washington using agreements with African governments to accelerate migrant removals.



The deportees are all from countries other than Congo, and at least some are from Central and South America, according to one source and U.S. court documents. One source familiar with the matter said they would total 37, while another put the figure at 45.



They will be the first to land in the Central African country as part of an agreement with the Trump administration announced on April 5, two days after Reuters reported the two countries were negotiating a deal for Congo to receive third-country deportees.



The move coincides with the Trump administration's efforts to implement a U.S.-brokered peace deal between Congo and Rwanda aimed at ending fighting with Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in eastern Congo that has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands more. It also follows the signing of a strategic partnership granting the United States preferential access to Congo's critical minerals.