Trump begins immigrants deportation to Africa …as Rwanda accepts to take 250 deportees

On Tuesday, Rwanda announced its agreement to accept up to 250 migrants from the United States as part of a deal established with Washington.

The Rwandan government did not provide specific details regarding the eligibility criteria for the individuals who may be included in this arrangement.

The United States has been actively pursuing a deportation initiative, with the administration under President Donald Trump negotiating contentious agreements to relocate individuals to third countries, including South Sudan and Eswatini.

This recent agreement comes on the heels of a previously cancelled arrangement with the United Kingdom, which would have permitted Rwanda to accept deported illegal migrants from the UK.

This multi-million-pound deal was terminated following the electoral defeat of the British government responsible for negotiating the terms.

Government spokesperson Yolande Makolo informed AFP, stating, “Rwanda has agreed with the United States to accept up to 250 migrants.”

Washington has been pushing a deportation drive, with President Donald Trump’s administration negotiating controversial arrangements to send people to third countries, among them South Sudan and Eswatini.

The latest deal follows a cancelled agreement with Britain under which Kigali would have received deported illegal migrants from the UK.

She said Kigali would maintain “the ability to approve each individual proposed for resettlement”.

Makolo said Kigali had agreed to the new scheme with Washington because “nearly every Rwandan family has experienced the hardships of displacement”.

Those who arrive in Rwanda will be provided with training, healthcare and accommodation, she added.

No further information was given, including any indication of a timeline, with Makolo saying that Rwanda “will provide more details once these have been worked out”.

Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has taken a number of actions aimed at speeding up deportations of undocumented migrants to countries that are not their own.

His administration has defended so-called third-country deportations as necessary, since the home nations of some of those targeted for removal sometimes refuse to accept them.

But rights experts have warned that the deportations risk breaking international law by sending people to nations where they face the risk of torture, abduction and other abuses.

South Sudan — which is teetering on the edge of renewed conflict — accepted eight criminal migrants from the United States, with Juba saying in July they remained in government care. Only one is South Sudanese.

Five other migrants labelled criminals by the United States were flown to Eswatini in July and incarcerated.
The government later said they will be repatriated to their own nations.

Rwanda, home to 13 million people in Africa’s Great Lakes region, claims to be one of the most stable countries on the continent and has drawn praise for its modern infrastructure.

However, the migrant agreement with London drew criticism from rights groups and faced a long-running legal challenge.

President Paul Kagame’s government is often accused of rampant human rights violations, crushing political dissent and press freedoms.

Kigali has also come under presure over its role in the violence roiling the neighbouring eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

In June, the DRC and Rwanda signed a peace agreement aimed at ending decades of conflict in eastern DRC, which saw a fresh surge of clashes this year when the M23 armed group, backed by Rwandan troops, captured two major cities.