The Burkinabe government has condemned the deportation of 164 of its citizens from Côte d’Ivoire by Ivorian authorities.
On July 13, 2024, a group of 173 Burkinabe, predominantly women, children, and about fifty men, arrived in Ouangolodougou, Côte d’Ivoire, seeking refuge. Still, three days after 164, they were deported back to Burkina Faso without any official explanation.
Over two million Burkinabes have been displaced by armed conflict and insurgency in the country, which has one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world. Thousands of them have fled to neighbouring countries.
Local families host many refugees, while others are housed in government-established reception centres.
The Ivorian authority reportedly carried out the deportation, which it tagged “Isolated Measure” over concerns of insecurity, mainly because the refugees had no valid documentation. Rations.
Reacting to the deportation during a meeting of the Council of Ministers, a spokesperson for the Burkinabe government, Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo, described it as a violation of humanitarian principles. Burkina Faso’s Minister of Humanitarian Action visited Niangoloko on Thursday to provide support and supplies to the deportees.
The Ivorian government argued that the deportation was an isolated incident and reaffirmed its commitment to assisting asylum seekers, adding that it has upheld this commitment for nearly three years.
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