Overview
- Fifteen people from Peru and Ecuador arrived in Kinshasa late Thursday, April 17, in the first transfer flight from the United States, according to Congolese and international reports.
- The DRC’s communication ministry said the group entered on short‑term stay permits, and the U.N. migration agency IOM is providing humanitarian aid and offering assisted voluntary return.
- Peru confirmed seven of its citizens were moved at their request and said they will receive consular help through its embassy in Kenya, which covers the DRC due to the lack of a mission in Kinshasa.
- Ecuador’s foreign ministry said one national asked not to be returned home and a U.S. immigration judge ordered a restriction on his return under protection mechanisms.
- Congolese authorities describe the reception scheme as strictly temporary, and media report more transfers could follow each month as part of a broader U.S.–DRC cooperation that includes access to strategic minerals and efforts to stabilize the country.