Three African countries agree to UK migrant returns after sanctions threat

# Three African countries agree to UK migrant returns after sanctions threat

*Event date: 2026-02-05*

Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo have agreed to cooperate on migrant returns with the UK after the Home Office threatened visa penalties, according to BBC News. The deal means the UK now has agreements with all three countries it named in warnings that they could face restrictions if they refused to accept the return of their citizens and others eligible for removal.

The BBC said the Home Office had been pressing for better cooperation because returns from the three countries were being frustrated by paperwork delays and other obstacles. Officials had complained that some people were being asked to sign their own return documents, which gave them what the department described as an effective veto over removal. The new agreement with the DRC completes a set of arrangements that already covered Angola and Namibia.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood framed the deal as part of a tougher approach to border control and removal policy. BBC reporting quoted her saying that illegal migrants and dangerous criminals would now be removed and deported back to the three countries. She also said governments that refuse to take back their citizens should expect consequences. That language matters because it shows the UK is using visa access as leverage in a wider attempt to increase deportations and returns.

The government’s position is that people in the UK without permission to live or work there must leave, whether voluntarily or through enforced removal. The BBC noted that returns can happen for several reasons, including visa expiry, failed asylum claims or criminal convictions leading to deportation. It also said there were 40,605 returns from July 2025 to June 2026, an 8% rise on the previous 12 months.

The returns figure gives the policy context. UK ministers are trying to demonstrate that the system is moving more people out of the country, not just announcing tougher rules. BBC data cited in the story said the number of returns was equivalent to about 6% of total emigration from January 2025 to December 2025. The report also said Indian nationals made up 27% of returns in that period, showing how broad the issue is beyond the three African countries now in focus.

Mahmood has already signalled that visa penalties may not stop with Angola, Namibia and the DRC. The BBC said countries including India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Somalia and Gabon are believed to be resistant to returns deals and could face similar pressure. That suggests the agreement announced on February 5 is less a one-off than a template for future bargaining.

The stakes are practical as well as political. BBC reporting said the government believes over 3,000 people from the three countries could be eligible to be removed or deported. For the Home Office, that is a significant pool of cases. For the three governments, cooperation may now be tied to avoiding a harder visa regime from the UK.

The agreement does not solve the broader debate over asylum, migration and enforcement, but it does show the government using one of its strongest tools to force progress. By tying visa access to returns cooperation, London is betting that diplomatic pressure will produce faster removals. The BBC’s report suggests that strategy has already delivered results with Angola, Namibia and now the DRC.