A chair is seen outside a hotel room where a Colombian woman was deported to from the United States, in Kinshasa, Congo, Saturday, May 10, 2026. -

By AFP

Last updated: 56 minutes ago

Democratic Republic Of Congo

More than half of a group of South American migrants deported by the United States to Kinshasa have now left DR Congo for their countries of origin, the Congolese government said on Friday.

As part of a US immigration crackdown, 15 men and women from Colombia, Ecuador and Peru arrived by plane in Kinshasa on April 17.

They were the first deportees to arrive in the central African country under a controversial US migration scheme to deport undocumented foreign nationals to third countries.

The DRC - one of a number of African nations that have agreed to take in deported migrants - is one of the world's poorest countries and thousands of kilometres from the Americas.

The scheme has often been accompanied by US financial or logistical support.

"To date, more than half of the 15 nationals admitted to the national territory on April 17 under this arrangement have already left the Democratic Republic of Congo to return to their countries of origin," the communications ministry said in a statement.

"Other departures will take place shortly as part of the implementation of the scheme," it said, adding they confirmed "the strictly transitional nature" of the arrangement.

The arrival of the South Americans in Kinshasa, a megacity of more than 17 million people, sparked criticism from civil society and on social media.

Most Kinshasa residents have no reliable access to running water or electricity.

Nearly three-quarters of Congolese people live below the poverty line, according to the World Bank.

AFP spoke to several of the migrants who had come to Kinshasa, most of whom did not speak French, the country's official language.

Human Rights Watch said in September that US deportations carried out under such "opaque deals" violate international law and should be rejected.

More than half of US deportees to Congo have returned to their countries, Kinshasa says

Suggested for you

More Stories

Court orders temporary forfeiture of Maiduguri property in alleged N345m investment scam

Moghalu praises Otti for Abia work, says Nigeria governance has problems

Outrage in France after suspect's criminal record is revealed

US Senate approves $70bn for Trump immigration agencies

American journalist admits working as China agent

Oyo governor bans okada after 10:30pm for security reasons

Discussion