West African migrants challenge US deportation practices in Ghana and Cameroon

West African nationals and human rights organizations are challenging migration practices involving the United States and third-party African nations. In Ghana, twenty-seven West African citizens have filed a lawsuit with the ECOWAS Court of Justice against the Ghanaian government. The plaintiffs allege that Accra facilitated their removal from the United States to Ghana, only to subsequently deport them to their home countries, such as Togo, where they claim to face the risk of persecution.

Simultaneously, the Mandela Center International has raised alarms regarding the detention of 36 individuals from nine different African countries in Cameroon. These individuals were transferred to Yaoundé between January and May 2026 under a migration agreement with the United States. The organization has criticized the Cameroonian authorities for their silence regarding the legal status and detention of these asylum seekers and has called upon the African Union to intervene.