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Burundi to take third-country deportees from US

September 30, 2026 7:18 AM EDT

Burundi's President Evariste Ndayishimiye walks to the podium to address the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 23, 2026. REUTERS/CAITLIN OCHS

By Clement Manirabarusha

BUJUMBURA, Sept ‌30 (Reuters) - Burundi ​has ​agreed to join a clutch of other African nations in receiving migrants from other countries deported from ‌the US under President Donald Trump's hardline immigration policy.

However, ⁠Bujumbura will only accept those not accused of crime or terrorism links, said ‌Nancy Ninette Mutoni, spokesperson ‌for President Evariste Ndayishimiye.

Tuesday's announcement gave no details of numbers, timing, or financial details.

Washington has sent so-called third-country deportees to ​some half a dozen African nations under opaque deals that Senate Democrats say have cost tens of millions of ⁠dollars.

In many cases, deportees had secured legal protections from immigration courts in the US against ​repatriation. But rights groups say the third-country deals allow the US to circumvent those protections.

Mutoni said preparations were ​underway to arrange accommodation, living conditions ‌and integration into communities. "Receiving them requires serious planning — where they will stay, what they will eat and ⁠how they will live alongside the local population," she said.

"If they choose to join Burundian citizens and make a valuable contribution to ⁠national development, the law will be respected," she said, regarding potential citizenship.

Burundi aimed ​to both strengthen diplomatic relations and provide hospitality to people in need, the spokesperson added.

The US State Department told Reuters in an email late ‌on Wednesday that it does "not comment on the details of our private diplomatic communications with other ‌governments," while a spokesperson for the Burundi foreign ministry said ⁠on Wednesday that the details ‌of the agreement ​were not yet available.

(Reporting by Clement Manibarusha; Writing by Vincent Mumo Nzilani; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and ‌Stephen Coates)



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