The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights has raised alarm over agreements by Rwanda and Uganda to take in migrants deported from the United States. The body called for transparency, protection of deportees’ rights, and cautioned against Africa being turned into a “dumping ground.”
The ACHPR described the arrangements as part of a larger effort to shift migration responsibilities abroad, heightening the risks of human rights abuses for deportees. Officials stressed that such transfers may violate the principle of non-refoulement, the prohibition of mass expulsions, and fundamental rights to dignity and asylum.
Uganda recently followed Rwanda, Eswatini, and South Sudan in consenting to receive third country nationals denied asylum in the United States.
Rwanda confirmed last week that the first batch of seven migrants from the US had arrived, part of a group of 250 people previously cleared for transfer. These controversial agreements trace back to the Trump administration, which in 2023 pressed African leaders in bilateral talks to accept deported migrants.
