I run this in a VM, and the tests fail with:

adt-run: trace: & dsc0t-minitar: [----------------------------------------
+ buildtree=/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/
+ shift
+ rm -rf -- /tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0t-minitar-testtmp /tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0t-minitar-testtmp/tmpdir /tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0t-minitar-testtmp/adttmp
+ mkdir -- /tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0t-minitar-testtmp /tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0t-minitar-testtmp/tmpdir /tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0t-minitar-testtmp/adttmp
adt-run: trace: & dsc0t-minitar:  - - - - - - - - - - results - - - - - - - - - -
dsc0t-minitar        FAIL status: 1, stderr: /tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/liba...
adt-run: trace: & dsc0t-minitar:  - - - - - - - - - - stderr - - - - - - - - - -
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/debian/tests/minitar: 9: /tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/debian/tests/minitar: pkg-config: not found
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0t-minitar-testtmp/tmpdir/ccn1IcM7.o: In function `extract':
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:341: undefined reference to `archive_read_new'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:342: undefined reference to `archive_write_disk_new'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:343: undefined reference to `archive_write_disk_set_options'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:345: undefined reference to `archive_read_support_filter_bzip2'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:348: undefined reference to `archive_read_support_filter_gzip'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:351: undefined reference to `archive_read_support_filter_compress'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:354: undefined reference to `archive_read_support_format_tar'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:357: undefined reference to `archive_read_support_format_cpio'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:360: undefined reference to `archive_write_disk_set_standard_lookup'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:364: undefined reference to `archive_read_open_file'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:370: undefined reference to `archive_read_next_header'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:381: undefined reference to `archive_entry_pathname'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:370: undefined reference to `archive_read_next_header'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:392: undefined reference to `archive_read_close'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:393: undefined reference to `archive_read_free'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:383: undefined reference to `archive_write_header'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0t-minitar-testtmp/tmpdir/ccn1IcM7.o: In function `copy_data':
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:415: undefined reference to `archive_error_string'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:406: undefined reference to `archive_read_data_block'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:413: undefined reference to `archive_write_data_block'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0t-minitar-testtmp/tmpdir/ccn1IcM7.o: In function `extract':
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:381: undefined reference to `archive_entry_pathname'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:374: undefined reference to `archive_error_string'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:365: undefined reference to `archive_error_string'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0t-minitar-testtmp/tmpdir/ccn1IcM7.o: In function `create':
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:230: undefined reference to `archive_write_new'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:248: undefined reference to `archive_write_set_compression_none'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:251: undefined reference to `archive_write_set_format_ustar'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:254: undefined reference to `archive_write_open_file'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:256: undefined reference to `archive_read_disk_new'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:258: undefined reference to `archive_read_disk_set_standard_lookup'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:261: undefined reference to `archive_read_disk_new'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:264: undefined reference to `archive_read_disk_open'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:274: undefined reference to `archive_entry_new'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:275: undefined reference to `archive_read_next_header2'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:283: undefined reference to `archive_read_disk_descend'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:289: undefined reference to `archive_write_header'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:311: undefined reference to `archive_entry_sourcepath'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:314: undefined reference to `archive_write_data'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:320: undefined reference to `archive_entry_free'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:234: undefined reference to `archive_write_set_compression_bzip2'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:286: undefined reference to `archive_entry_pathname'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:292: undefined reference to `archive_error_string'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:320: undefined reference to `archive_entry_free'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:324: undefined reference to `archive_read_close'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:325: undefined reference to `archive_read_free'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:328: undefined reference to `archive_write_close'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:329: undefined reference to `archive_write_free'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:244: undefined reference to `archive_write_set_compression_gzip'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:239: undefined reference to `archive_write_set_compression_compress'
/tmp/tmp.MvE2K2w6Uu/dsc0-build/libarchive-3.0.4/examples/minitar/minitar.c:279: undefined reference to `archive_error_string'
collect2: error: ld returned 1 exit status

Looks like wrong linking order or something like that?