Burkina Faso Rejects U.S. Plan to Deport Migrants, Calls Proposal “Indecent”
Burkina Faso, currently under a military junta that has distanced itself from Western powers, has rejected a proposal from the United States to accept deported migrants — a clear rebuff to one of President Donald Trump’s key immigration policies.
Since Trump’s return to the White House, his administration has intensified efforts to deport undocumented migrants, including relocating them to third countries with which they have no ties. Several African nations, including Eswatini, Ghana, Rwanda, and South Sudan, have recently agreed to such arrangements.
However, on Thursday night, Burkina Faso’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Karamoko Jean-Marie Traore, announced that the West African nation had turned down Washington’s request.
“Naturally, this proposal, which we considered indecent at the time, runs completely contrary to the principle of dignity,” Traore said in a televised address.
Just hours before his statement, the U.S. Embassy in Ouagadougou announced a suspension of regular visa services for Burkinabe citizens, directing them instead to Lomé, Togo, for consular services.
Reacting to the move, Traore questioned Washington’s motives.
“Is this a way to put pressure on us? Is this blackmail? Whatever it is, Burkina Faso remains a place of dignity — a destination, not a dumping ground,” he declared.
Burkina Faso’s junta leader, Captain Ibrahim Traore, has consistently positioned himself as an anti-imperialist Pan-Africanist since seizing power in a coup in September 2022. Under his leadership, the country has cut military and diplomatic ties with France and other Western nations, pivoting instead toward closer relations with Russia.
