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Burkina Faso’s military-led government has firmly rejected an American proposal to accept individuals deported from the United States, describing the move as an affront to the country’s dignity and sovereignty.
The decision marks a direct rebuke of one of President Donald Trump’s hallmark immigration measures, which has seen people sent to third countries—often with no personal ties to those nations—as part of a broader crackdown on illegal immigration since his return to office.
While several African nations, including Eswatini, Ghana, Rwanda and South Sudan, have agreed to take in deportees from the US in recent months, Burkina Faso has refused to do so.
The country’s foreign minister, Karamoko Jean-Marie Traore, announced the decision on national television on Thursday evening.
“Naturally, this proposal, which we considered indecent at the time, runs completely contrary to the principle of dignity,” Traore said.
His remarks came just hours after the US embassy in Ouagadougou revealed it was suspending most regular visa services for residents of Burkina Faso. Burkinabe citizens will now have to process their visa applications in Lome, 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.
Since coming to power in a September 2022 coup, Burkina Faso’s leader, Captain Ibrahim Traore, has distanced the country from Western powers, especially former colonial ruler France.
Instead, he has aligned himself more closely with Russia, portraying himself as an anti-imperialist and Pan-African champion determined to assert Burkina Faso’s independence on the global stage.
