Donald Trump (President of the United States) is on the left of the image, and Ibrahim Traoré (President of Burkina Faso) is on the right. Screenshot from the video “IBRAHIM TRAORÉ’s shocking response to Donald Trump” on the Smr Foot YouTube Channel.

Ibrahim Traoré, the President of Burkina Faso, has refused US President Donald Trump’s request to accept migrants deported from the United States. In retaliation, on October 9th, the US embassy in Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, announced that it would be temporarily pausing visa services for Burkinabé applicants, forcing them to go to nearby Togo instead for visa applications.

Since his return to the White House in January 2025, Donald Trump has pursued a migration policy of systematically deporting what he calls “illegal immigrants” to their home countries or other states altogether.

Several African countries, such as Rwanda, Eswatini, Ghana, and South Sudan, have signed deportation agreements with Washington, agreeing to accept deportees, regardless of their country of origin. The Trump administration has since aimed to expand this list, showing a particular interest in Burkina Faso.

Since September 11, 2025, Burkina Faso has implemented a free-of-charge visa policy for all African nationals wishing to visit. This policy intends to promote tourism and Burkinabé culture and raise Burkina Faso’s profile abroad.

As Mahamadou Sana, the Burkinabé Security Minister and Police Superintendent, explains, this policy is in no way a deportation gateway:

(…) la gratuité n’est pas l’exemption. Quand on parle de gratuité, cela veut dire que les demandes sont toujours formulées en ligne, font l’objet d’un examen et, si la demande est acceptée, alors tout ressortissant africain qui passe par ce canal obtiendra gratuitement ce visa pour venir au Burkina Faso.

Free does not mean exemption. It means all applications are submitted online and reviewed, and if accepted, all African nationals going through this process will receive their Burkina Faso visas free of charge.

No to US deportations

According to Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré, Burkina Faso’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Trump administration, looking to take advantage of this opportunity, requested to use  Burkina Faso as a deportation destination. However, this proposal didn’t go down well with the Ouagadougou authorities. On October 9, 2025, Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré, quoted in French newspaper Le Monde, stated on national television:

La question était de voir si le Burkina Faso, en dehors de nos propres ressortissants, était prêt à recevoir d’autres personnes qui seraient expulsées par les Etats-unis.

The question was whether Burkina Faso would accept deportees other than their own nationals from the United States.

Traoré announced that his country had refused this US proposal. He added:

Naturellement, cette proposition que nous avions jugée en son temps indécente est totalement contraire à la valeur de dignité qui fait partie de l’essence même de la vision du capitaine Ibrahim Traoré.

Naturally, this proposal, which we considered inappropriate, goes entirely against the value of dignity intrinsic to Captain Ibrahim Traoré’s vision.

Needless to say, his refusal didn’t go down well with Washington.

Mandatory trip to Togo

Given the Burkinabé authorities’ unyielding stance, the US embassy has temporarily suspended routine visa issuance services for most Burkinabé nationals, redirecting all applications to neighboring Togo. Now, all applicants must travel to Lomé, the Togolese capital. Karamoko Jean Marie Traoré explained:

Cette décision ferait suite à une note verbale américaine évoquant un non-respect des consignes d’usage des visas par certains ressortissants du Burkina Faso « S’agit-il d’une mesure de pression ? D’un chantage ? Dans tous les cas, le Burkina Faso est une terre de dignité, une destination et non pas une terre de déportation.

This decision follows a US diplomatic note outlining some Burkinabé nationals’ non-compliance with visa requirements. Is this a pressure tactic? Is it blackmail? Either way, Burkina Faso is a land of dignity, not deportation.

This decision surprised Burkinabé citizens, who hadn’t expected such an extreme retaliatory measure, especially since their country had maintained good relations with Washington before its announcement.

Diplomatic reconfiguration?

Donald Trump’s Africa policy has undergone significant changes in recent months, including the suspension of legislation like the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which “provides eligible sub-Saharan African countries with duty-free access to the US market” and the closure of some embassies on the continent. This new diplomatic approach risks causing strained relations between the US and African nations in the coming months.

After underscoring that Burkina Faso maintains good relations with all countries that respect it, Traoré emphasized that Burkina Faso will act accordingly:

Naturellement, la mesure qui a été prise ne saurait nous laisser indifférents. En diplomatie, on parle de réciprocité. Nous prendrons les mesures qu’il faut, à la limite des mesures qui ont été prises par les autorités américaines, sans pour autant compromettre l’amitié, la solidarité, la fraternité entre les peuples du Burkina Faso et les peuples américains.

Obviously, we cannot remain indifferent to the measures taken. In diplomacy, there is the matter of reciprocity. We will take whatever measures are necessary to the extent of the US authorities’ actions, without compromising the friendship, solidarity, and fraternity between the people of Burkina Faso and the United States.

The Burkinabé authorities’ staunchness sends a strong message to all Western countries, indicating a renewed determination to maintain the national sovereignty held since Ibrahim Traoré‘s military regime takeover on September 30, 2022.

Read: Geostrategic shift: Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger withdraw from ECOWAS

The latest coups d’état in Central Sahel countries, such as Burkina Faso (September 2022), Mali (May 2021), and Niger (July 2023), have reshaped their political landscapes. Today, these countries, under military rule and united within the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), have expressed their desire to break away from Western influence.

Burkina Faso isn’t the first country to reject the proposal to accept deportees from the United States. During a visit to Washington in July 2025, Yusuf Tuggar, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, told BBC Africa:

Le Nigeria ne cédera pas aux pressions de l'administration Trump pour accepter des déportés vénézuéliens ou des prisonniers de pays tiers en provenance des États-Unis. (…) Il sera difficile pour un pays comme le Nigeria d'accepter des prisonniers vénézuéliens sur son territoire. Nous avons suffisamment de problèmes propres, nous ne pouvons pas accepter de déportés vénézuéliens au Nigeria, pour l'amour du ciel.

Nigeria will not succumb to the Trump administration’s pressure to accept Venezuelan deportees or third-country prisoners from the United States. It will be difficult for a country like Nigeria to accept Venezuelan prisoners. We have enough problems of our own. We can’t accept Venezuelan deportees in Nigeria, for heaven’s sake.

According to this BBC Africa article, the Wall Street Journal reported that other African countries are reportedly on Donald Trump’s list of potential lands of deportation. The US president is attempting to persuade the presidents of Liberia, Senegal, Mauritania, Gabon, and Guinea-Bissau to reach said agreement.

Read more: A strategic shift in Burkina-Faso