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Burundi agrees to accept some third-country deportees from the US

Burundi's presidential spokesperson said the country will accept people deported from the US who have no prior link to it, excluding those facing charges or with terrorism links. No numbers, timing or costs were given.

4 outlets · 2L · 0C · 2R First reported Account updated
Image: The Independent
Image: The Straits Times
Image: The Guardian
Image: Arab News

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The story, neutrally told

Burundi has agreed to accept people deported by the United States who have no previous connection to the country, according to a spokesperson for the president. Spokesperson Nancy Ninette Mutoni said only people not facing prosecution and with no terrorism links would be accepted. The announcement gave no arrival date, number of people or financial details, and a Burundi foreign ministry spokesperson said details of the agreement were not yet available.

Mutoni said preparations were underway for accommodation and integration into local communities, saying it requires "serious planning". Reuters reported she also said the law would be respected if deportees chose to join Burundian citizens, regarding potential citizenship, and that Burundi aimed to strengthen diplomatic relations and offer hospitality. The US has sent third-country deportees to several African countries, including Eswatini and South Sudan, under deals that Senate Democrats say have cost tens of millions of dollars, according to the reports.

AP reported that a US appeals court ruling last week threw the programme into question, and that a flight of about 70 people to Burundi, Rwanda and the Central African Republic was cancelled, according to immigrants' lawyers. The ruling did not bar such deportations but required a meaningful chance to raise fears of persecution or torture; the Trump administration says the policy is needed when home countries refuse to accept deportees, while rights groups say the deals let the US circumvent legal protections.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on.

Left2 outlets

Framing
AP copy carried by The Independent stresses the vague details and the legal uncertainty from a US appeals court ruling.
Emphasis
Court ruling, cancelled flight of about 70 people, administration's defence.
Leaves out or plays down
Does not mention Senate Democrats' cost estimate or rights groups' circumvention criticism.
For example
“A U.S. appeals court ruling last week threw the program into question.” — The Independent

Centre0 outlets

No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Right2 outlets

Framing
Reuters copy carried by The Straits Times leads on Burundi joining other African nations under Trump's policy, with cost and rights criticism.
Emphasis
Opaque deals, cost estimates, rights groups' criticism, citizenship and diplomacy remarks.
Leaves out or plays down
Does not mention the appeals court ruling or the cancelled flight.
Charged language
“hardline immigration policy”“opaque deals”
For example
“under opaque deals that Senate Democrats say have cost tens of millions of dollars” — The Straits Times