Burkina Faso’s military government has refused to accept deportees from the United States, prompting Washington to suspend the issuance of all visa categories in the West African nation.
Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré questioned whether the decision amounted to “blackmail” after rejecting what he described as repeated US proposals for Burkina Faso to host migrants deported from third countries.
“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,” Traoré said during an appearance on national broadcaster RTB on Thursday.
He explained that during a meeting with officials from the US Embassy in Ouagadougou on Wednesday, he once again rejected the proposal to receive deportees.
Shortly after, the US Embassy announced on its website that it would temporarily stop issuing immigrant, tourist, student, and business visas in Burkina Faso. Applicants will now have to visit the US Embassy in Lomé, Togo, for visa processing.
The foreign minister added that Burkina Faso had received a diplomatic note from Washington citing the country’s inclusion on a list of nations whose citizens allegedly violated US visa regulations, referencing earlier discussions about accepting deportees.
Several African nations, including Eswatini, Ghana, Rwanda, and South Sudan, have recently agreed to receive migrants deported from the United States. Eswatini, for example, accepted 10 deportees on Monday despite legal challenges, following an earlier group of five identified by US officials as serious offenders.
Nigeria, however, has maintained that it will not accept deportees under any such arrangement.
The move is part of President Donald Trump’s renewed immigration enforcement policy, aimed at deporting millions of undocumented migrants from the United States.
Traoré criticised the proposal as “indecent” and contrary to national values, saying, “This proposal runs completely against the principle of dignity.”
Burkina Faso, led by military ruler Captain Ibrahim Traoré, has had strained ties with Western governments since coming to power in a 2022 coup. The leader, who casts himself as a pan-Africanist, has often accused Western nations of interference and double standards.
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