标签： Africa

In a recent development, nineteen West African nationals deported by the United States to Ghana have been relocated to undisclosed locations, raising concerns over their safety and legal protections. Ana Dionne-Lanier, a lawyer representing one of the deportees, revealed to The Associated Press that the group arrived in Ghana on November 5 and were initially housed in a hotel. These individuals are shielded from deportation to their home countries due to the risk of torture, persecution, or inhumane treatment. However, their current whereabouts remain unknown, as neither their families nor legal representatives have been able to contact them. Dionne-Lanier disclosed that part of the group was transported by bus to an unidentified border location between last weekend and Monday, while a second group, including her client, was moved ‘under heavy armed guard’ from the hotel around Wednesday. The Ghanaian government has yet to comment on the situation. This incident is part of a broader U.S. deportation initiative under the Trump administration, which has established secretive agreements with several African nations, including Eswatini, Rwanda, and South Sudan, to send migrants to third countries. The program has faced significant criticism from human rights advocates, who argue that it violates international protections for asylum-seekers and lacks proper screening processes. In September, Ghanaian rights group Democracy Hub filed a lawsuit against the Ghanaian government, alleging that its agreement with the U.S. is unconstitutional and may breach conventions prohibiting the return of individuals to countries where they could face persecution. The U.S. Department of Justice has countered that it cannot control how another country treats deportees, asserting that Ghana has pledged not to return them to their home countries.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced an investigation into the unexpected arrival of a chartered plane carrying 153 Palestinians from Gaza at OR Tambo International Airport. The group, initially denied entry due to missing departure stamps in their passports, was stranded on the plane for over 10 hours. Following intervention by local charity Gift of the Givers and the government’s ’empathy and compassion,’ most were eventually allowed into the country. The circumstances of their departure from Gaza and travel to South Africa remain unclear. Israeli military body Cogat stated that the group left Gaza with approval from a third country, while the Palestinian embassy in South Africa accused an unregistered organization of exploiting the situation and facilitating irregular travel. Of the 153 passengers, 23 continued to other destinations, leaving 130 in South Africa. Ramaphosa emphasized that the government would conduct a ‘proper evaluation’ of the incident and update the public. Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber clarified that while Palestinian passport-holders qualify for visa-exempt access, the lack of certain documentation initially led to the refusal. Once it was confirmed that the travelers did not intend to seek asylum and their accommodation was secured, they were granted entry. South African civil societies have called for investigations into the conditions the Palestinians fled and the aircraft’s route. One Palestinian expressed relief at being in South Africa, describing it as a country of ‘peace, laws, and justice.’ Gift of the Givers has criticized the treatment of the group at the airport and called for an investigation into the home affairs ministry and border authority. South Africa has long supported the Palestinian cause, with recent pro-Palestinian marches and a case filed against Israel at the International Court of Justice accusing it of genocide in Gaza.

The United Nations Human Rights Council convened a special one-day session in Geneva on Friday to address the escalating human rights violations in Sudan’s Darfur region. The session focused on the recent massacre at a hospital in el-Fasher, where over 450 people were killed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group engaged in conflict with the Sudanese army. The RSF’s brutal campaign included house-to-house killings, sexual violence, and attacks on healthcare facilities, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, condemned the atrocities as “the gravest of crimes,” emphasizing that the violence was both foreseeable and preventable. He highlighted reports of mass civilian killings, ethnically targeted executions, sexual assaults, abductions, and widespread detentions since the RSF seized control of el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.

The council debated a draft resolution, led by several European nations, calling for an urgent investigation by an existing team of independent experts. The resolution aims to identify those responsible for the crimes and hold them accountable. Mona Rishmawi, a member of the investigative team, described el-Fasher as a “crime scene,” detailing evidence of torture, rape, abductions, and enforced disappearances on a massive scale.

While the Human Rights Council lacks enforcement power, it plays a critical role in documenting violations and raising international awareness, potentially aiding future prosecutions at institutions like the International Criminal Court. The ongoing conflict between the Sudanese military and the RSF, which began in 2023, has resulted in at least 40,000 deaths and displaced 12 million people, with aid groups warning the actual toll could be far higher.

South African authorities have come under intense scrutiny following the detention of over 150 Palestinian travelers, including a woman in her ninth month of pregnancy, on a plane for approximately 12 hours due to issues with their travel documentation. The incident occurred at Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport on Thursday morning after the charter flight made a stopover in Nairobi, Kenya. According to the Border Management Authority, the passengers lacked exit stamps from Israeli authorities, failed to specify their intended length of stay in South Africa, and did not provide local addresses, prompting immigration officials to deny them entry. A pastor who visited the stranded passengers described the conditions as unbearable, with extreme heat causing children to scream and cry. The situation was resolved late Thursday night after the Ministry of Home Affairs intervened, and the NGO Gift of the Givers offered to accommodate the travelers. Of the 153 passengers, 23 have since departed for other countries, leaving 130 in South Africa. This marks the second such incident in two weeks, with both flights reportedly carrying individuals from war-torn Gaza. The treatment of the travelers has sparked outrage, particularly given South Africa’s longstanding support for the Palestinian cause. Many of the passengers now intend to seek asylum in South Africa, a right guaranteed under the country’s constitution.