By Foday Moriba Conteh
The Government of Sierra Leone has agreed to receive hundreds of West African migrants deported from the United States under a newly established arrangement aimed at supporting U.S. immigration enforcement efforts.
According to Sierra Leone’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Timothy Musa Kabba, the country has signed a Third Country National Agreement with the United States to accept deported nationals from countries within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Speaking on the arrangement, Timothy Musa Kabba disclosed that the first group of deportees is expected to arrive in Sierra Leone on May 20, 2026. The flight is expected to transport nationals from Senegal, Ghana, Guinea and Nigeria, although the exact number of deportees on the first trip was not immediately disclosed.
The Foreign Minister explained that under the agreement, Sierra Leone has committed to accepting up to 300 ECOWAS citizens annually, with a maximum of 25 deportees arriving each month.
“Sierra Leone signed a Third Country National Agreement with the U.S. to accept 300 ECOWAS citizens from the U.S. per year with a maximum of 25 a month,” Timothy Musa Kabba stated.
The agreement places Sierra Leone among a growing number of African countries partnering with the United States on third-country deportation arrangements as Washington intensifies efforts to accelerate migrant removals. Similar arrangements have reportedly been implemented in countries including Ghana, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Eswatini.
Sierra Leone’s arrangement is understood to be similar to that of Ghana, which also accepts deportees from neighbouring West African countries. However, it remains unclear whether migrants deported to Sierra Leone will be allowed to remain in the country or whether they will eventually be repatriated to their countries of origin.
Timothy Musa Kabba did not disclose what benefits or support Sierra Leone would receive in exchange for participating in the arrangement. He, however, stressed that the agreement forms part of the broader diplomatic and bilateral relationship between Sierra Leone and the United States.
“It’s part of our bilateral relationship with the U.S. to assist with its immigration policy,” he said.
The development has sparked interest amid ongoing global discussions surrounding third-country deportation policies. Legal experts and human rights organizations have previously raised concerns about the legal basis for deporting migrants to countries where they are not nationals, as well as the conditions and protections available to affected individuals.
Reports from international policy discussions have indicated that millions of dollars have previously been allocated by the United States to support countries involved in similar deportation arrangements. A report released earlier this year by members of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee revealed that more than $32 million had reportedly been provided to countries such as Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, El Salvador, Eswatini and Palau for migration-related agreements.
The United States and Sierra Leone have experienced tensions over deportation matters in the past. In 2017, during the first administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump, the United States imposed visa restrictions on certain Sierra Leonean foreign ministry and immigration officials over concerns that Sierra Leone had refused to receive some of its deported nationals.
The latest agreement is expected to generate public debate within Sierra Leone and across the ECOWAS region regarding migration management, regional cooperation and the broader humanitarian implications of third-country deportation arrangements.
