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Sierra Leone to take in hundreds of West Africans deported by US, minister says

Timeslive · · 403 words · By Reuters Agency
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/world/2026-05-16-sierra-leone-to-take-in-hundre…

fact_checkFact-Check Results

8 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

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info Single Source 1
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“Sierra Leone has agreed to take in hundreds of West African migrants being deported by the US”
CORROBORATED
The claim is reported by both Reuters and the Sowetan, confirming Sierra Leone's agreement to accept West African migrants deported by the US.
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web search NEUTRAL — The United States cannot unilaterally send deportation flights to other countries; there must be an established agreement with each nation to accept the deportation flights, and they must have diploma…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deportation_in_the_second_Trum…
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web search NEUTRAL — FREETOWN, May 16 (Reuters) - Sierra Leone has agreed to take in hundreds of West African migrants who are being deported by the United States, its foreign minister told Reuters, the latest such deal b…
https://www.aol.com/articles/sierra-leone-hundreds-west-afri…
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web search NEUTRAL — West Africans deported by US to Ghana have all been sent to their home countries.Lawsuit says US held West African migrants in straitjackets for 16 hours on flight to Ghana.
https://news.google.com/stories/CAAqNggKIjBDQklTSGpvSmMzUnZj…
+ 1 more evidence source
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“The first flight of so-called third-country deportees will arrive in Sierra Leone on May 20, Timothy Kabba said, transporting 25 people from Senegal, Ghana, Guinea and Nigeria.”
CORROBORATED
Both Reuters and the Sowetan specifically mention the May 20 arrival date, the number of people (25), and the countries of origin (Senegal, Ghana, Guinea, and Nigeria).
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web search NEUTRAL — President Mulino stated some 360 deportees/immigrants would arrive on these flights, be transferred to a camp in Darién and either repatriated or moved to still other countries at U.S. expense.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deportation_in_the_second_Trum…
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web search NEUTRAL — The first flight of so-called third-country deportees will arrive in Sierra Leone on May 20, Timothy Kabba said, transporting 25 nationals from Senegal, Ghana, Guinea and Nigeria.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/sierra-leone-hundreds-we…
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web search NEUTRAL — The flight from San Diego landed in San José, the Costa Rican capital, on Thursday evening. The group of migrants on board included dozens of children, officials said.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/20/us/politics/deportation-f…
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“Sierra Leone signed a third-country national agreement with the US to accept 300 Ecowas citizens from the US per year, with a maximum of 25 a month”
CORROBORATED
The specific figures (300 per year, max 25 per month) and the ECOWAS context are reported by both Reuters and the Sowetan.
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web search NEUTRAL — • Per capita.ECOWAS nations signed a non-aggression protocol in 1990 along with two earlier agreements in 1978 and 1981. They also signed a Protocol on Mutual Defence Assistance in Freetown, Sierra Le…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ECOWAS
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web search NEUTRAL — “Sierra Leone signed a Third Country National Agreement with the U.S. to accept 300 ECOWAS citizens from the U.S. per year with a maximum of 25 a month," Kabba said, referring to the West African regi…
https://www.aol.com/articles/sierra-leone-hundreds-west-afri…
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web search NEUTRAL — ECOWAS — the Economic Community of West African States — is a regional bloc set up to drive economic integration, free movement, and collective security across West Africa. It was founded on 28 May 19…
https://awajis.com/ecowas-member-nations/
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“The US has previously sent third-country deportees to African states, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Eswatini”
CORROBORATED
The list of countries (DRC, Ghana, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Eswatini) is corroborated by Reuters, TRT Afrika, and the Sowetan.
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web search NEUTRAL — According to Reuters, “the United States has previously deported third-country nationals to African countries such as Ghana, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Eswatini, despite concerns over legal and …
https://evrimagaci.org/gpt/congo-prepares-to-receive-usdepor…
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web search NEUTRAL — The US has previously sent third-country deportees to African states including Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Eswatini.
https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20260516-sierra-leone-to-take-i…
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web search NEUTRAL — The US has previously sent third-country deportees to African states including Ghana, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Eswatini.
https://www.trtafrika.com/english/article/7c76db920181
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“Sierra Leone’s arrangement to accept only deportees from Ecowas countries is similar to Ghana’s.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the Sowetan makes this comparison, the other web results discuss Ghana's deportees generally but do not explicitly confirm a formal 'arrangement' identical in structure to Sierra Leone's for ECOWAS citizens specifically.
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web search NEUTRAL — Another deportee from Gambia also claimed he was deported to Ghana before eventually being sent back to Gambia, where he said he is currently in hiding. The deportees have reportedly filed lawsuits in…
https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Woman-who…
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web search NEUTRAL — Third-country deportation has also become part of a wider policy trend. Governments in different regions have increasingly tried to move asylum seekers, deportees, or protected migrants to other state…
https://www.visaverge.com/news/united-nations-warns-equatori…
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web search NEUTRAL — Many deportees have come from countries in Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia, where the U.S. authorities cannot easily send them back.“The United States is grateful for our friendship with the Dominican…
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/12/world/americas/dominican-…
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“deportees sent to Ghana, Equatorial Guinea and elsewhere on the continent have then been forced to return to their home countries despite receiving court-ordered protection in the US”
CORROBORATED
Web search results from Reuters and other reports indicate that migrants sent to third countries (including Ghana) often had US court-ordered protections and were subsequently forced back to their home countries.
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web search NEUTRAL — The country’s foreign ministry, interior ministry and immigration service did not respond to Reuters’ questions. Ghana’s interior ministry announced an investigation into Kuyateh’s treatment by immigr…
https://slguardian.org/dragged-deported-and-returned-to-dang…
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web search NEUTRAL — Since September 2025, the majority of migrants flown to third countries had US court-ordered protections, meaning the US could not legally send them to their home countries due to the likelihood they …
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/13/us-paid-32m-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Over 17,500 third-country nationals have been deported by the U.S. to 21 different nations as of 2026. Legal protections like CAT and withholding of removal may not prevent transfers to unsafe third c…
https://www.visaverge.com/news/united-nations-warns-equatori…
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“In a report published in February, Democrats on the Senate foreign relations committee said the total cost of third-country removals was unknown but that more than $32m (R534m) had been sent directly to five countries — Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, El Salvador, Eswatini and Palau.”
CORROBORATED
The specific amount ($32 million) and the list of five countries (Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, El Salvador, Eswatini, and Palau) are reported by both The Hindu and the Sowetan.
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cross reference SUPPORTS — In a report published in February, Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said the total cost of third-country removals was unknown, but that more than $32 million had been sent directly …
https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/sierra-leone-to-…
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cross reference SUPPORTS — In a report published in February, Democrats on the Senate foreign relations committee said... more than $32m (R534m) had been sent directly to five countries — Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, El Salvador,…
https://www.sowetan.co.za/news/world/2026-05-16-sierra-leone…
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“In 2017, during the first Trump administration, Washington said the US embassy in Freetown would deny tourist and business visas to Sierra Leonean foreign ministry and immigration officials because the government was refusing to take in Sierra Leonean deportees.”
CORROBORATED
The Sowetan reports the 2017 visa threat, and this is supported by a Politico SL report mentioning the US Embassy in Freetown discontinuing certain visas due to 'obligations or commitments' (referring to the deportation issue).
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web search NEUTRAL — Two Sierra Leonean Women Arrested in Liberia with Drugs Hidden in their Underwear. Local. Africa.The United States Embassy in Sierra Leone has confirmed that K-1 fiancé visas remain unaffected by the …
https://www.sierraleonemonitor.com/embassy-clarification-vis…
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web search NEUTRAL — Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the west coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Leone
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web search NEUTRAL — The US Embassy in Freetown in September 2020 announced that it was discontinuing the issuing of immigrant and non-immigrant visas to Sierra Leonean Citizens with exceptions to those covered by what th…
https://politicosl.com/articles/u-s-partially-eases-visa-san…
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.