The Burkinabe government has expressed concern over the repatriation of 164 of its residents who had lately sought asylum in Ivory Coast. This comes in the midst of continuous efforts to accommodate the 60,000 Burkinabe who have abandoned their homeland due to unrest since 2021. Many of these migrants are welcomed by local families, while others live in government-run reception centers.

On July 13, 2024, a group of 173 Burkinabè, mostly women, children, and around fifty men, landed at Ouangolodougou, Ivory Coast. Seven members of the gang went to the local authorities to register their livestock. However, three days later, 164 migrants were deported to Burkina Faso with no apparent explanation.

According to local reports, the deportations were prompted by the refugees’ failure to register with authorities, as well as fears about prospective migrant influxes and security infiltrations.

The Ivorian government refers to deportation as a “isolated measure”

During Wednesday’s Council of Ministers meeting, Burkinabe government spokesperson Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo criticized the deportations as a violation of humanitarian norms. In response, Burkina Faso’s Minister of Humanitarian Action paid a visit to Niangoloko to deliver aid and supplies to those impacted.

The Ivorian administration claims that the deportation was an isolated incident and reaffirms its continuous commitment to aiding asylum seekers, which it has done for nearly three years.

sources: AP