Recent expulsions of third‑country nationals by the United States to Eswatini, Ghana, Rwanda and South Sudan have sparked alarm over the risk of arbitrary detention, ill‑treatment and refoulement. Human Rights Watch has condemned the opaque agreements that facilitate these transfers, noting that they often include U.S. financial assistance and violate international human‑rights law.
In Rwanda, the government has agreed to accept up to 250 deportees under a deal that provides $7.5 million in U.S. funding. However, Rwanda’s history of repression and its participation in similar arrangements with Israel and the United Kingdom raise serious doubts about its capacity to protect the individuals concerned. In Eswatini, at least five people from various countries have been transferred and are being held in harsh conditions at the Matsapha Correctional Complex. South Sudan confirmed that it is detaining seven foreign nationals deported from the United States in July, while an eighth person was released to family members; authorities have not clarified the status of the remaining six men or the conditions of their confinement.
Uganda has entered a temporary bilateral cooperation agreement with the United States that will allow it to receive third‑country deportees, excluding those with criminal records and unaccompanied minors. Ghana has also agreed to accept third‑party nationals, and five citizens of Nigeria and The Gambia have already been expelled there. One of those deportees—a bisexual man from The Gambia—reported being sent back to his country of origin despite U.S. courts finding that he faced a serious risk of persecution.
Human Rights Watch has called on African governments to refuse new agreements that would make them destinations for U.S. deportees and to terminate any existing arrangements. The organization urges countries party to such deals to disclose their terms, permit independent monitoring, and ensure that no deportee is returned to a nation where they face persecution or torture. It also urges the African Union to reaffirm that deportations lacking adequate protection are unlawful and unacceptable.
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