Around 150 African migrants have been transported from a refugee camp in Kenya to Germany.
Yesterday, a flight carrying the people – most of whom hail from South Sudan, the Congo and Somalia – touched down at the airport of Leipzig in eastern Germany.
Their arrival in Germany marked a success for Pro Asyl, a pro-migration NGO that had sued the German Government for resettlement in the name of some of the refugees on board. Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s administration had previously tried to avoid transporting the migrants to Germany.
The Africans were part of a resettlement programme by the United Nations refugee organisation UNHCR.
Under this programme, the UNHCR chooses “especially vulnerable” refugees who cannot return to their home countries but also cannot stay in their current country of residence – Kenya.
Germany had previously agreed to take these refugees in and give them a residence permit for three years, with the prospect of remaining in Germany indefinitely in case of successful integration.
In April 2025, following the election win of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the German interior ministry had temporarily halted the resettlement programme.
A flight which should have transported 190 African refugees to Germany from Kenya was cancelled at the last minute in May.
Pro Asyl filed suits in German courts for some of the affected would-be migrants. In October, a court in Berlin ruled that Germany had to let a South Sudanese woman into the country together with five relatives.
In light of the verdict, the interior ministry has now also decided to let the other 150 or so refugees come to Germany.
Pro Asyl manager Helen Rezene rejoiced at the decision: “The last-minute cancellation of the resettlement flight by the interior ministry was not only heartless, but also illegal.
“It is bitter. Under the aegis of interior minister [Alexander] Dobrindt, compliance with refugee admission commitments and the preservation of humanity must be fought for in court,” she said.
The African resettlement is not the first failure for the tougher immigration policy promised by Merz and Dobrindt.
Yeesterday, Dobrindt also announced that Germany would take in 535 Afghans who were currently waiting for resettlement in Pakistan , after trying for months to avoid just that.
Between January and September 2025 more than 120,000 migrants had filed claims for asylum in Germany.
