Rwanda welcomes first group of migrants deported by US

A first group of seven migrants has arrived in Rwanda as part of a deal to accept deportees from the United States, the Rwandan government said Thursday.

"The first group of seven vetted migrants arrived in Rwanda in mid-August... Three of the individuals have expressed a desire to return to their home countries, while four wish to stay and build lives in Rwanda," government spokesperson Yolande Makolo told AFP.

The authorities offered no information on the nationalities of the seven deportees.

Rwanda said on August 5 that it would accept up to 250 migrants from the US, stating that it would have "the ability to approve each individual proposed for resettlement".

Trump’s deportation drive

The first arrivals are "accommodated by an international organisation with visits by the International Organisation on Migration and Rwandan social services," Makolo said.

Washington has been pushing a deportation drive, with President Donald Trump's administration negotiating controversial arrangements to send people to third countries, including South Sudan and Eswatini.

Rwanda earlier signed a lucrative deal to accept unwanted migrants from Britain, only for the agreement to be scrapped when the British government changed hands last year.