Africa-Press. Authorities in Equatorial Guinea continue to detain migrants and asylum seekers deported by the United States to the capital, Malabo, despite court orders for their protection and increasing human rights criticisms regarding their legal and humanitarian conditions.
According to an investigation by a local source, the deportees are being held inside the “Bami” hotel in Malabo, which has been converted into a detention center under a secret agreement valued at approximately $7.5 million between the administration of former President Donald Trump and the government of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.
The report indicates that at least 32 individuals have been transferred to Equatorial Guinea since late last year, including migrants who previously received legal protection in the United States. Some have been returned to their home countries despite concerns about persecution and violence.
The report noted that the deportees come from countries including Angola, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Mauritania, and that the United States is using deportations to third countries as a means to pressure asylum seekers to return to their home countries.
Detainees described their conditions as an “unofficial prison,” asserting that they are subjected to ongoing psychological pressure to force them to return to their countries. Meanwhile, UN experts and human rights organizations have expressed concern about the potential violation of the principle of non-refoulement as stipulated in international law.
The government of Equatorial Guinea has not responded to requests for comment, while the U.S. State Department stated that it is committed to stopping illegal and mass migration.
This issue is part of a broader U.S. policy that relies on deporting migrants to “third countries” in Africa and Latin America as part of tightening immigration measures, which has sparked significant legal and human rights debates both within the United States and abroad.
