KEYIR NEWS - A growing backlash is unfolding across parts of Africa in response to the United States’ controversial deportation strategy under President Donald Trump, as several African countries now face lawsuits and public scrutiny for accepting deported migrants.
Legal teams, campaigners, and human rights organizations are raising concerns about violations of international law, including the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits the return of individuals to countries where they may face persecution or harm.
In Ghana, tensions have escalated after the country accepted 14 deportees from the US, nationals of various West African countries including Nigeria, Togo, Mali, Liberia, and The Gambia. Despite 11 of them filing lawsuits to prevent their deportation, they were forcibly removed before their cases were heard. Ghana subsequently transferred six of these individuals to Togo, although only three of them were Togolese citizens. The whereabouts of the remaining individuals remain unknown.
Oliver Barker-Vormawor, the lead counsel representing the group, told *The Continent* that legal efforts will continue both in Ghanaian courts and at the ECOWAS Court of Justice. He alleges that Ghana may have breached international law by failing to assess the safety of the countries to which the individuals were deported.
“These removals potentially violate the international principle of non-refoulement,” Barker-Vormawor warned, emphasizing the need for accountability and due process.
Elsewhere, Eswatini is also facing legal challenges after it accepted five individuals deported from the United States. Local human rights defenders have taken legal action against the government, accusing it of participating in illegal deportations.
Amnesty International has since launched a public campaign, urging citizens to write to Eswatini’s justice minister demanding transparency about the detainees' legal status and the grounds for their continued detention.
The group has publicly named the deportees: Roberto Mosquera Del Peral, Kassim Saleh Wasil, Dung Tien Nguyen, Phone Chomsavanh, and Orville Etoria.
In South Sudan, six men deported by the US on July 4 remain unaccounted for, prompting further international concern. Their journey reportedly included detention at a US military base in Djibouti, where they were held in makeshift facilities such as repurposed shipping containers.
A campaign is now underway, urging the public to contact South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for information about their location and legal status. The deported individuals include Jose Manuel Rodriguez-Quinones, Enrique Arias Hierro, Kyaw Mya, Nyo Myint, Thongxay Nilakout, and Tuan Thanh Phan.
As legal challenges mount, other African countries may soon face similar scrutiny. Rwanda has so far accepted seven of an expected 250 migrants under a US deal, and Uganda has also agreed to receive migrants as part of a similar arrangement.
These deportations, carried out under the Trump administration’s hardline immigration policies, are now causing diplomatic strain and legal battles in countries that participated—raising difficult questions about sovereignty, human rights, and international obligations.