Sierra Leone’s Foreign Minister Timothy Kabba confirmed the country has entered into a Third Country National Agreement with the United States. Under the pact, Freetown will accept up to 300 deported ECOWAS citizens annually from the US, beginning with the arrival of 25 West African deportees on May 20. The arrangement is similar to agreements the US has reached with Ghana and other African nations. Human rights groups and legal experts have criticized such agreements, raising concerns about the legal basis for transferring individuals to countries where they are not citizens, particularly those with US court-ordered protections. Kabba did not disclose what Sierra Leone receives in return, saying only that it forms part of the country’s bilateral relationship with Washington.
RFI
