A growing number of African countries have begun accepting people deported by the United States under a policy known as “third-country deportation,” where deportees are sent to a country that is not their home nation.
- Concerns have been raised regarding the policy’s legality and ethics, as it may deny due process and cause harm by relocation to unfamiliar countries.
- Several African nations, including Rwanda, Ghana, Eswatini, and Uganda, have participated with varying numbers of deportees and specific bilateral agreements.
- Challenges to this policy have emerged from civil society groups and legal experts questioning the transparency and conditions of these deportations.
- Governments may engage in this policy as a strategy to improve relations with the U.S., but human rights organizations warn of serious associated risks.
The U.S. says the approach is meant to speed up deportations when a person’s country of origin refuses to take them back.
But lawyers for deportees and rights groups have questioned the legality of the practice, saying it can deny people due process and expose them to harm in countries they have no connection to.
Rwanda
Rwanda became one of the first African countries to take part in the program. In August 2025, the government confirmed that seven people deported by the U.S. had arrived in the country under a bilateral agreement signed earlier that month.
Under the deal, Rwanda agreed to take up to 250 people, with each case approved individually.
Authorities said they would provide temporary shelter and support while the deportees’ next steps are decided.
Eswatini
In July 2025, Eswatini received five people deported from the U.S. under the third-country deportation policy.
Officials said they would be given temporary shelter while their cases are reviewed.
Some civil society groups have challenged the move in court, saying it could go against the country’s laws and human rights rules.
Ghana
Ghana is the most recent country to be linked to the scheme.
President John Mahama confirmed in September 2025 that 14 people, including Nigerians and Gambians, had arrived from the U.S. and were being temporarily hosted in Ghana.
He said the decision was made under ECOWAS free movement rules, which allow West Africans to stay in other member countries for up to 90 days.
Ghana also said it would help arrange onward travel for the deportees to their home countries.
However, some legal experts in the U.S. have raised concerns about the lack of transparency around the transfers and the conditions under which they took place.
South Sudan and Uganda
The U.S. has also pressured South Sudan to cooperate with the program.
In April 2025, Washington imposed visa restrictions on South Sudanese passport holders after Juba initially refused to accept its nationals. U.S. officials have since reported deportation flights to South Sudan.
Uganda confirmed in August 2025 that it has agreed in principle to receive some third-country deportees under specific conditions, though no arrivals have been made public yet.
Mixed reactions
Experts say some African governments may see cooperation as a way to build goodwill with the Trump administration in areas such as trade, aid and migration.
But human rights advocates have warned that the policy raises serious legal and ethical concerns, especially when deportees are sent to countries where they have no ties, legal status or support systems.
For now, the list of African countries involved in the policy appears to be growing even as debate over its legality continues.
