A plane transporting nine West African deportees arrived in Sierra Leone on Wednesday under a Trump administration deal accelerating removals.
Foreign Minister Timothy Kabba said Freetown agreed to accept 300 West African migrants annually, with no more than 25 monthly.
Deportees included seven men and two women from Ghana, Senegal, Guinea, and Nigeria, housed by contractor near airport hotels said.
Duration of stay remains unclear, with government offering no comment and contractor saying up to two weeks, or thirty days.
Sierra Leone arrangement mirrors Ghana’s system, where deportees are often forced to return despite US court protection orders in place.
Most of the deportees reportedly said they wanted to go home, while at least one resisted leaving the aircraft initially.
It remains unclear what Sierra Leone receives in exchange for accepting the deportees under the arrangement with the United States.
In February report Senate Democrats said over 32 million dollars were sent to five countries for third-country removals program funding.
A State Department spokesperson declined to comment on the arrangement and broader deportation cooperation policy at this time said officials.
