South Sudan has accepted eight third-country deportees from the US, and
Rwanda says it’s in talks with the administration of President Donald Trump
on a similar deal. Nigeria meanwhile says it’s rejecting pressure to do the
same.

These initiatives in Africa mark an expansion in US efforts to deport people
to countries other than their own. It has sent hundreds of Venezuelans and
others to Costa Rica, El Salvador and Panama but has yet to announce any
major deals in Africa, Asia or Europe.

While proponents see such programs as a way of deterring what they describe
as unmanageable levels of migration, human rights advocates have raised
concerns over sending migrants to countries where they have no ties.

Earlier this week, Trump held a summit with five West African leaders in the
White House, which highlighted the new transactional US policy towards the
continent.