Congo Says it Will Receive Third-Country Deportees Under New Deal with US

Democratic Republic of Congo will receive third-country nationals deported from the United States under a new deal with the Trump administration, the government in Kinshasa said in a statement on Sunday.

* The government said it will receive deportees starting in April, but did not say how many it had agreed to take.

* The arrangement will be paid for by the United States, with no cost to the Congolese government, the statement said.

* Facilities have been prepared near the capital Kinshasa to accommodate the deportees, it said.

* The United States has sent third-country deportees to several African countries including Ghana, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Eswatini, drawing criticism from legal experts and rights groups.

* The agreement coincides with an effort by the Trump administration to implement a peace deal between Congo and Rwanda and an agreement ensuring U.S. access to Congolese critical minerals.