DRC: government announces agreement with United States on hosting expelled migrants

In detail, this mechanism provides for the supervised reception of migrants expelled by the United States, according to modalities defined jointly between Kinshasa and Washington, as reported by our correspondent in Kinshasa, Pascal Mulegwa. The Congolese government emphasizes that this is neither a permanent relocation program nor an outsourcing of the US migration policy. The stay of the individuals concerned is announced as strictly temporary.

Each case will undergo individual review, in accordance with Congolese laws and national security requirements, the government specifies. No automatic transfers will be authorized. Reception sites have already been identified in the outskirts of Kinshasa.

What is not known is how many people are affected. When they will arrive. And what the DRC gets in return. There has been no official response to these questions. RFI sources also indicate that this migration agreement is separate from the strategic partnership signed between Kinshasa and Washington last December. Negotiations reportedly began after this signature.

The civil society, not reassured by the agreement

The Congolese civil society is not reassured in any case. Timothée Mbuya, from the NGO Justicia ASBL, points out the opacity in this agreement: “Neither the Congolese population, nor the national representatives and senators were informed. There was no public debate around these agreements. Congo is not a dumping ground to receive individuals who are expelled or not accepted in other countries. Our country does not have sufficient infrastructure to accommodate such people.”

For other voices in civil society, the priority should be to address the over six million internally displaced Congolese. Although the statement does not mention direct compensation, this agreement comes in a context of enhanced cooperation between the two countries: economically, with a mineral agreement in exchange for security, and in the health sector, with a promise of $900 million from the United States.

_Read more_: [Mining contracts signed by the DRC: what is the situation and what are the prospects for the country?]

To understand the context, one must look at what is happening elsewhere. In February 2026, the Democratic minority in the American Senate published a report on these expulsion agreements to third countries. According to this document, over $32 million was sent to five countries – Rwanda, Equatorial Guinea, El Salvador, Eswatini, and Palau – to host around 300 migrants. The report highlights agreements made in secrecy, with governments criticized for their human rights records.

Diplomatic sources cited in this report suggest that the countries targeted by Washington share common features: low development level, limited institutional protections, relative isolation. These characteristics would, according to these sources, facilitate the swift conclusion of discreet agreements.

On the pursued objectives, the Senate report cites American officials openly discussing deterrence: it is about discouraging exile candidates, pushing them to give up their asylum claims, or even to return voluntarily.

The Democratic minority concludes that this mechanism primarily serves a political display logic, rather than a coherent migration policy. These are accusations that the Trump administration disputes. The DRC, on the other hand, has not commented on these criticisms.