Burundi agreed to join a group of African countries that receive immigrants deported by the United States and who hold third-country nationalities, as part of the strict immigration policy followed by US President Donald Trump.
Nancy Ninette Mutoni, spokeswoman for President Evariste Ndayishimiye, said Bujumbura would only accept people who were not accused of crimes or had no links to terrorism. The announcement did not include any details about numbers, timing, or financial arrangements, according to Reuters.
Washington sent deportees from third countries to about six African countries, under vague agreements that Senate Democrats say cost tens of millions of dollars.
In many cases, deportees have obtained legal protection from US immigration courts against deportation decisions. But organizations concerned with defending human rights say that third-country agreements allow the United States to circumvent this protection.
Mutoni said preparations are underway to provide accommodation, living conditions and ways to integrate them into local communities. She added: “Receiving them requires careful planning. Where will they stay? And what will they eat? How will they live side by side with the residents?
“If they choose to join Burundian citizens and make a valuable contribution to national development, the law will be respected,” she said of the possibility of granting citizenship.
The US State Department told Reuters, in an email late on Wednesday evening, that it “does not comment on the details of private diplomatic communications with other governments.”
A spokesman for Burundi's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that details of the agreement were not yet available.
Nigeria is moving forward with the acquisition of 12 American-made attack helicopters, in a deal worth approximately one billion dollars, a step that the US Embassy in Abuja described as embodying the “growing security partnership” between the two countries, at a time when Nigeria continues to face one of its most complex security crises in years, due to the strong rise of ISIS in West Africa and the Boko Haram group.
The US mission said, in a post on the “X” platform, on Tuesday, that “security cooperation between the United States and Nigeria continues to enhance our joint efforts to support regional security,” and added that Abuja’s acquisition of American AH-1Z Viper helicopters is a step that confirms “the two countries’ commitment to building Nigerian defense capabilities and confronting current and emerging threats together.”
The announcement came after a symbolic signing ceremony for the first construction of the helicopters at the Bell Textron facility in Amarillo, Texas, attended by a delegation from the Nigerian Air Force, headed by its Chief of Staff, Air Lieutenant General Sunday Anike, who described the event as “important” in the effort to build a “more capable and ready” air force.
The deal came after a delay of 4 years, as the US State Department approved the sale in April 2022, but it faltered due to bureaucratic restrictions and human rights laws, before “Bell Textron” obtained the manufacturing contract in March 2024.
At least three Malian soldiers and four members of Russian paramilitary forces were killed in an ambush by extremists on their convoy in central Mali, according to what security and local sources reported to Agence France-Presse on Tuesday.
The attack, which occurred on Sunday, comes in light of the escalation of attacks launched by extremists from the “Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims,” which is linked to Al-Qaeda.
A security source told Agence France-Presse, requesting anonymity: “A convoy consisting mainly of members of the Africa Corps group was ambushed near the town of Niono, in the Ségou region.”
Paramilitary forces affiliated with the Russian "Africa Corps" group are assisting the ruling military junta in Mali in its fight against extremists.
On Tuesday, the “Support for Islam and Muslims” group claimed responsibility for the attack.
