Trending 
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is reportedly in discussions with the Trump administration about receiving migrants deported from other countries, two Congolese government sources told Reuters on Friday.
The talks are part of Washington’s broader strategy of so-called third-country deportations, in which migrants who entered or remained in the United States without authorisation are sent to countries other than their own.
Similar agreements have previously involved Ghana, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Eswatini.
According to sources, the discussions coincide with U.S. efforts to implement a peace deal between Congo and Rwanda and secure access to critical minerals in the DRC.
According to the Congolese sources, negotiations with Congo have not yet produced a deal, and important issues are still outstanding.
The number of migrants involved, their nationalities, and the potential date of the first deportation flights are all unknown.
Also, it is unclear what Congo would get in exchange for taking in deportees.
A United Nations source indicated that the plan could include migrants from South America, including Venezuela.
Washington, according to a State Department representative, had “no comment on the details of our diplomatic communications with other governments.”
A request for comment was not immediately answered by a Congo presidential spokesperson.
