Kigali, Rwanda – In a move drawing regional and international attention, Rwanda has confirmed it will receive up to 250 migrants deported from the United States under a controversial deal struck with the administration of former President Donald Trump.
Government spokesperson Yolande Makolo told the BBC that the deportees will be offered “workforce training, health care, and accommodation to jump start their lives in Rwanda.” She added that Rwanda will retain “the ability to approve each individual proposed for resettlement,” highlighting the selective nature of the scheme.
The migrants — many of whom are believed to be rejected asylum seekers or undocumented individuals — will be resettled under a controlled process, with Rwanda promising to offer them a path toward stability.
Though signed years ago, the deal’s recent implementation has sparked renewed debate across Africa, including in Somalia, where migration and deportation remain highly sensitive issues. Somali analysts and civil society organizations have expressed concern that similar agreements may be proposed for Horn of Africa countries under the guise of development cooperation.
“This model raises important questions for Somalia and other nations in the region,” said Abdirahman Gure, a Somali migration policy expert based in Nairobi. “While Rwanda may have the infrastructure to manage small-scale resettlements, countries like Somalia — recovering from conflict and climate shocks — must remain cautious about entering such arrangements,” he added.
The Somali diaspora, which numbers in the millions across North America, Europe, and the Gulf, closely monitors deportation policies in host countries. In the past, Somalis facing removal from the US have encountered difficulties, including lack of travel documents, statelessness, or fear of persecution upon return.
Rwanda’s acceptance of US deportees follows a similar but legally fraught deal with the United Kingdom, which has faced widespread criticism from human rights organizations. Kigali’s role in these deals reflects a growing trend where African nations are offered financial or diplomatic incentives to absorb migrants rejected by the West.
For Somalia — a nation striving to rebuild and assert its sovereignty — the implications are complex. As the federal government continues its diplomatic outreach and works to protect the rights of Somalis abroad, any potential future migration agreement will likely be scrutinized by both lawmakers and the public.
In the meantime, Rwanda’s resettlement of US deportees will serve as a test case — one that Somalia and others in the region will watch closely, balancing the promise of partnership with the risks of being drawn into contentious global migration politics.