US deportations to African countries unlawful and exploit suffering - rights group

What the report says

Human Rights Watch has accused the United States of unlawfully deporting migrants to African countries where they are not citizens, saying the practice uses suffering as a deterrent to migration. In a report published by BBC Africa, the rights group said more than 500 people have been sent to African states since Donald Trump returned to the White House in 2025, based on US data. The countries named in the report include Eswatini, Ghana, South Sudan, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

HRW says many of those removed had little realistic option but to return to their home countries, even when they could face persecution, torture or ill-treatment. The group also said it interviewed 24 third-country nationals across six African countries, some of whom described being chained during long flights, kept unaware of their destination and denied adequate food, water or medication. It argued that some transfers may breach the international principle of nonrefoulement, which bars sending people to places where they face serious harm.

The US Department of Homeland Security defended the removals as a public safety measure, saying it receives diplomatic assurances from destination countries. Eswatini said earlier this week that three migrants had recently left voluntarily for their home countries and that it remained committed to protecting the rights and dignity of third-country nationals. None of the African governments named in the report had commented in detail at the time of publication.