Burkina Faso, now governed by a military junta with an openly anti-West stance, has rejected a United States proposal to receive migrants deported under one of President Donald Trump’s key immigration policies.
Since returning to the White House, Trump’s administration has intensified efforts to deport migrants to third countries — including nations with which they have no prior ties — as part of a broader immigration crackdown.
In recent months, several African countries, including Eswatini, Ghana, Rwanda, and South Sudan, have agreed to accept migrants expelled from the United States.
However, late on Thursday, Burkina Faso’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Karamoko Jean-Marie Traore, announced that the country had turned down Washington’s proposal.
“Naturally, this proposal, which we considered indecent at the time, runs completely contrary to the principle of dignity,” Traore said on national television.
Just hours earlier, the U.S. embassy in Ouagadougou announced the suspension of regular visa services for residents of Burkina Faso.
Going forward, Burkinabe citizens seeking U.S. visa services will now be redirected to Lomé, the capital of neighbouring Togo.
“Is this a way to put pressure on us? Is this blackmail? Whatever it is… Burkina Faso is a place of dignity, a destination, not a place of expulsion,” Traore added.
Burkina Faso’s military leader, Captain Ibrahim Traore, has styled himself as a Pan-African and anti-imperialist figure.
Since taking power in a coup in September 2022, he has distanced the country from France and other Western nations while strengthening relations with Russia.
Source: AFP
