US paid over $20m to three African nations in deportations

Rwanda, Equatorial Guinea and Eswatini received direct payments under expanding third-country transfer programme costing US taxpayers more than $40m

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By Olamilekan Okebiorun

The United States has paid more than $20 million to three African countries – Rwanda, Equatorial Guinea and Eswatini – as part of an expanding programme that deports migrants to nations where they are not citizens, according to a report by Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The findings, first reported by Semafor, estimate that the third-country deportation initiative has cost American taxpayers more than $40 million through January 2026, with military aircraft transfers alone costing over $32,000 per flying hour.

The payments

Direct payments totalling more than $32 million were made to five countries that agreed to accept deportees, the report states:

· Equatorial Guinea: $7.5 million
· Rwanda: $7.5 million
· Palau: $7.5 million
· Eswatini: $5.1 million
· El Salvador: $4.76 million

As of January 2026, Rwanda had received seven migrants under the arrangement, Eswatini 15, and Equatorial Guinea 29. Flights carrying 51 individuals to the three African nations over seven months cost an estimated $2.5 million.

How it works

Under the approach, Washington “urges or coerces countries to accept migrants who are not their citizens,” often through financial arrangements, the report says. What was once described as a rare diplomatic tool has, according to the document, “become a routine instrument of diplomacy.”

Ghana has taken in West African nationals under similar arrangements, while South Sudan and Uganda have also been involved in third-country transfers. The agreements and their terms have not been publicly detailed.

Oversight concerns

The report raises serious questions about monitoring and compliance, stating that the State Department “is not tracking foreign government compliance with diplomatic assurances or enforcing agreement terms, even where evidence suggests foreign governments are violating their commitments.”

In some cases, migrants could have been returned directly to their home countries, avoiding additional flights and expenses, the report claims. It describes the programme as “little more than an expensive deterrent with no measurable benefit.”

Administration’s position

The administration has defended third-country deportations as necessary where home countries refuse to accept their nationals, maintaining that the arrangements expand enforcement options and diplomatic leverage.

Broader context

The migration arrangements come amid broader engagement between African governments and the United States across security, humanitarian and diplomatic areas.

Rwanda has featured prominently in diplomatic efforts, including mediation linked to tensions involving the Democratic Republic of Congo. Eswatini maintains longstanding diplomatic ties with Washington, while Equatorial Guinea’s participation marks a notable expansion of bilateral cooperation.

Some governments have reportedly declined participation in third-country deportation arrangements, while others have entered into agreements based on strategic, financial or diplomatic considerations.

With total programme costs now exceeding $40 million, according to the Senate committee report, attention is likely to remain focused on the scope, structure and long-term impact of the third-country deportation arrangements.