In a diplomatic development that has remained under wraps for nearly a year, the Democratic Republic of Congo is negotiating an agreement with the United States to receive migrants deported by the Trump administration, The Africa Report can exclusively reveal.
The talks, conducted alongside a parallel diplomatic track focused on restoring peace in eastern DRC and facilitating American investment, underscore the deepening dimensions of Kinshasa’s engagement with Washington. At the center of the negotiations is a consequential proposition: in exchange for a steady stream of deportees, the DRC would secure goodwill, economic concessions, and a closer security and mining partnership with the world’s largest economy. The December 2025 peace accord between Kinshasa and Rwanda, signed in Washington DC under President Donald Trump, already signaled a new chapter in US-Congolese relations.
A Mining Dimension That Looms Large
The DRC holds the world’s largest reserves of cobalt and significant deposits of lithium and coltan — minerals critical to global energy transition supply chains. American companies have increasingly sought to reduce dependence on Chinese-controlled mining operations, making the DRC an attractive partner. Hosting deportees may function as a geopolitical gesture, reinforcing Kinshasa’s alignment with Washington at a moment when the US is recalibrating its African footprint.
Human Rights Concerns
Human rights organizations have raised concerns. The DRC’s eastern provinces remain plagued by armed conflict, and the country’s own internal displacement crisis is among the worst in the world, with millions uprooted by militia violence. Critics argue that accepting large numbers of deportees could strain an already fragile humanitarian situation. The negotiations remain ongoing, and the precise terms — including numbers, timelines, and conditions of reception — have not been finalized.