AU human rights body warns against US deportation deals with African states
The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights cited recent agreements signed with Rwanda and Uganda that would allow Washington to transfer both African and non-African migrants expelled from the United States to the two countries.
The African Union’s (AU) human rights body has raised strong concern over recent deportation deals between the United States and several African countries, warning they could expose migrants to abuse and undermine Africa’s commitment to protecting vulnerable people.
In a statement published on its website on Monday, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) cited recent agreements signed with Rwanda and Uganda that would allow Washington to transfer both African and non-African migrants expelled from the United States to the two countries.
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Similar arrangements have reportedly been reached with South Sudan and Eswatini, reflecting what the Commission described as a growing trend of “outsourcing migration responsibilities” to African states.
According to the ACHPR, such transfers could increase the risk of mistreatment and breach international standards meant to safeguard migrants.
“Such transfers may contravene the principle of non-refoulement, the prohibition of collective expulsions, as well as the rights to dignity and asylum enshrined in the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, as well as other relevant international and regional instruments, including the ‘African Guiding Principles on the Human Rights of All Migrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers’,” the statement, issued in French, roughly translates.
The commission urged Rwanda, Uganda, and other African states to be fully transparent about these agreements and to put in place strong protections for those transferred.
“The commission calls on Rwanda, Uganda, and all African States to ensure the transparency of these agreements, to ensure the effective protection of the rights of transferred migrants, and to refrain from any policy likely to transform the African continent into a ‘drop-off zone’ for arbitrary expulsions,” the statement said.
The ACHPR further appealed to the AU to help member states develop humane migration policies that prioritise the rights and safety of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, rather than deals that merely shift responsibility from wealthier nations.
“The Commission calls on the African Union to support African States in adopting humane migration policies, based on dignity, solidarity, and justice, in order to guarantee the safety and rights of all migrants,” the AU body stated.
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