Moussa Diawara alleges Ghana forced him to Mali after US deportation

Moussa Diawara, a man deported from the United States to Ghana, alleges that Ghanaian officials forced him onto a flight to Mali within five days of his arrival. Diawara, who lived in the US for nearly half his life and has two US citizen children, claims he had no family or connections in Ghana.

A US immigration judge had previously ruled that Diawara could not be deported to Mali, deeming the country unsafe for him due to the risk of persecution following his conversion to Christianity. Despite this ruling, Diawara says he was sent to Mali, where he is currently living in hiding and describes being homeless and in constant fear for his safety.

The incident highlights concerns regarding a 2025 third-country removal arrangement between the US and Ghana. Under such agreements, the US sends third-country nationals to nations like Ghana that have agreed to accept them. An investigation by 60 Minutes suggests that some countries accepting US deportees are routinely returning individuals to the very locations from which they fled, even when US courts have ruled those locations unsafe.