NGOZI, Burundi (AP) — Burundi has agreed to accept people deported by the United States who have no previous connection to the East African country, a spokesperson for the country’s president said Tuesday.
Nancy Ninette Mutoni said Burundi would accept only people who were not facing prosecution and had no links to terrorism. She spoke during an event attended by government officials in Ngozi.
Mutoni did not say when the deportees would arrive or how many people Burundi had agreed to receive. She said preparations were underway to provide accommodations and help the deportees live in local communities.
“Receiving them requires serious planning — where they will stay, what they will eat and how they will live alongside the local population,” Mutoni said.
The Trump administration has expanded third-country deportations as part of its immigration crackdown, sending people to countries where they are not citizens and may never have lived. The United States has sent deportees to several African countries, including Eswatini and South Sudan.
A U.S. appeals court ruling last week threw the program into question. Lawyers for immigrants said a flight carrying about 70 people had been scheduled to travel from Louisiana to Burundi, Rwanda and the Central African Republic but was canceled.
The ruling did not prohibit third-country deportations but required that people facing removal have a meaningful opportunity to raise concerns about possible persecution or torture. The Trump administration has defended the policy as necessary when deportees’ home countries refuse to accept them.
Burundi's President Evariste Ndayishimiye speaks during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Paul Cotter scored 1:59 into overtime to cap a two-goal game as the Vancouver Canucks got the season off to a strong start with a 6-5 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night.
Marco Rossi, Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Max Sasson and Elias Pettersson also scored for the Canucks, who are coming off a last-place finish in the NHL last season with a 25-49-8 record.
Kevin Lankinen made 32 stops.
Evan Bouchard had three goals and two assists and Vasily Podkolzin scored twice for the Oilers. Tristan Jarry made 17 saves for Edmonton.
Entering the third period tied 2-2, Pettersson capped a three-goal run by the Canucks 5:15 into the frame to swiftly put the Canucks ahead 5-2.
But Podkolzin scored at 8:56, followed by Bouchard’s third of the night 24 seconds later and Podkolzin’s second of the night with 43 seconds left in regulation to send it to extra time.
Cotter, who joined Vancouver as a free agent after spending the last two seasons in New Jersey, became the first player in Canucks history to score a short-handed goal in his debut with the team.
Bouchard is the first defenseman in Oilers history to record a multigoal game in a season opener and just the third defenseman in NHL history to score a hat trick in an opener. He is also just the third blue-liner in the last 30 years to have at least four points in a game to open the season.
Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra became the fourth person to represent the Canucks as both a player and head coach in his career, following in the footsteps of Marc Crawford, Pat Quinn and Orland Kurtenbach.
Canucks: Host the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday.
Oilers: At the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.
See AP’s full NHL coverage here
Edmonton Oilers' Evan Bouchard (2) celebrates a goal against the Vancouver Canucks during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Edmonton, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (Codie McLachlan/The Canadian Press via AP)
Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid (97) looks for the rebound from Vancouver Canucks' goaltender Kevin Lankinen (32) during overtime NHL hockey action in Edmonton on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (Codie McLachlan/The Canadian Press via AP)
Vancouver Canucks' Max Sasson (63) is pursued by Edmonton Oilers' Colton Dach (34) during third period NHL hockey action in Edmonton on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (Codie McLachlan/The Canadian Press via AP)
Edmonton Oilers' Connor Murphy (5) defends against Vancouver Canucks' Marco Rossi (23) during third period NHL hockey action in Edmonton on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (Codie McLachlan/The Canadian Press via AP)
Vancouver Canucks' Tom Willander (5) and Paul Cotter (47) celebrate Cotter's game-winning goal against the Edmonton Oilers during overtime NHL hockey action in Edmonton on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (Codie McLachlan/The Canadian Press via AP)
