By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Junta-led Burkina Faso has refused to accept deportees from the United States in a third-country transfer deal, as Washington puts on hold, the issuance of visas in the West African nation.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Karamoko Traoré condemned the US embassy’s decision, calling it a “blackmail” after he said his country rejected an American proposal to take in migrants from third countries.
US President Donald Trump has turned to African countries as a destination to deport migrants in implementation of his administration’s hard stand on illegal migration.
The head of Burkina Faso military government, Capt Ibrahim Traoré presents himself as a pan-African champion, standing up to Western imperialism.
He seized power in a coup three years ago, and has had a frosty relationship with Western nations ever since.
In a televised speech late Thursday, the foreign minister asked: “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.”
He said he had a meeting with the US Embassy on Wednesday in which he rejected the offer. He claimed his country has been repeatedly pressured to receive deportees from the US.
The US embassy in Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou had on Thursday said on its website that it would temporarily pause issuing immigrant, tourist, student and business traveller visas.
Burkina Faso residents will instead have to travel to the US, through the embassy in the neighbouring Togo.
The foreign affairs minister said he had received a diplomatic note from the US explaining that Burkina Faso was put on a list of countries whose nationals had not respected rules around US visas and referring to the US proposals, according to a local news outlet’s transcript of the interview.
Several African countries, Eswatini, Ghana, Rwanda and South Sudan have all accepted people from third countries expelled from the US in recent months.
On Monday, Eswatini accepted 10 deportees despite legal challenges, adding to an earlier group of five, which the US had described as serious criminals.
However, Nigeria has said it would not take any US deportees. Trump’s crackdown aims to deport millions of immigrants in the US illegally, in fulfillment of his campaign promises.
