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African states must refuse to be complicit with the US policy of ‘third-country removals’

Daily Maverick · 🇿🇦 public South Africa · · 955 words · By Marceau Sivieude; Tigere Chagutah
US Immigration Policy Human rights violations International Law (Non-refoulement)
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On 12 June, a group of 17 people – among them Turks, Afghans and Iranians – were forcibly removed from the US and flown to Bangui, in the Central African Republic, a country where they have no ties and whose language they do not speak.

Claims checked 17
Techniques found 3
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Right coverage
Left14%
Center86%
Right0%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

On 12 June, a group of 17 people – among them Turks, Afghans and Iranians – were forcibly removed from the US and flown to Bangui, in the Central African Republic, a country where they have no ties and whose language they do not speak.

Why it matters

According to Third Country Deportation Watch, all but one of these people had been granted protection in the US from being forcibly returned to their home country.

Common ground

Yet being sent back to their country of origin is what they risked once arriving in Bangui, in breach of the principle of non-refoulement under international law.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Appeal to Anger: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-08-04-african-states-must-refuse-to…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 95% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Name Calling / Labeling 70% confidence
Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Appeal to Anger 80% confidence
Provoking outrage to bypass rational evaluation of an argument.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to anger helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 17 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 7
info Single Source 5
help Insufficient Evidence 2
verified Verified By Reference 2
check_circle Corroborated 1
schedule
Claim 1: “In some cases, including Ghana and Sierra Leone, these agreements have not been scrutinised by national parliaments.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 2: “In some documented cases, as in Sierra Leone, removed individuals are unable to apply for asylum.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 3: “In South Sudan, people have been arbitrarily detained for almost a year in an undisclosed location with no physical access to their lawyers.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found after searching.
schedule
Claim 4: “In a report published on 13 February, US senators stated that more than $32-million had been paid directly to five third countries, three of which are in Africa, in return for the removals.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 5: “More than 10 people have been shot and killed during enforcement actions by ICE officers”
SINGLE SOURCE
One Al Jazeera source mentions 'at least the ninth death linked to federal immigration enforcement', which is close to 'more than 10', but it does not explicitly confirm 'more than 10 shot and killed by ICE officers' as a settled fact. Other results are unrelated.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The head coach is Digit Murphy. Murphy is assisted by Sean Coady and Edith Zimmering.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009–10_Brown_Bears_women's_ic…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The ICE Most Wanted is a most wanted list maintained by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Shortly after the formation of ICE, the list was originally unveiled as the ICE Mos…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICE_Most_Wanted
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Variations in pressure and temperature give rise to different phases of ice, which have varying properties and molecular geometries. Currently, twenty-two crystalline phases have been observed, includ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phases_of_ice
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 6: “More than 100 people have been put on planes by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials and sent to third countries in Africa over the past year.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of generic Wikipedia entries about the US, a movie called 'Us', and the rapper Ice Spice. No evidence was found regarding the number of people deported to Africa by ICE.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — "Ice Ice Baby" is the debut single by American rapper Vanilla Ice. Released by SBK Records, on his debut album, To the Extreme (1990), it is his best-known song and has appeared in remixed form on Pla…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_Ice_Baby
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Isis Naija Gaston (born January 1, 2000), known professionally as Ice Spice, is an American rapper and songwriter. Born and raised in the Bronx, New York City, she began her musical career during coll…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_Spice
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security. Its stated mission is to conduct criminal investiga…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Immigration_and_…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 7: “According to Third Country Deportation Watch, all but one of these people had been granted protection in the US from being forcibly returned to their home country.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific detail regarding 'Third Country Deportation Watch' and the 'all but one' statistic is found in only one source (ReliefWeb/African states must refuse...). Other sources discuss general deportation policies or different cases.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — During Donald Trump's second term as president of the United States, his administration has pursued a deportation policy generally described as "hardline", "maximalist", and as a "mass deportation" ca…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deportation_in_the_second_Trum…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kilmar Armando Ábrego García, a Salvadoran man living in the United States, was illegally deported on March 15, 2025, by the U.S. government under the Trump administration, which called it "an adminis…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deportation_of_Kilmar_Abrego_G…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — In March 2025, the United States deported 238 illegal immigrants from Venezuela alleged to be gang members to El Salvador, to be immediately and indefinitely imprisoned without trial and without priso…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_2025_American_deportatio…
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 8: “In December 2025, out of a total of 39 targeted countries, nationals from 12 sub-Saharan countries were subject to a total ban on entry to US territory, while those from 14 countries were subject to a partial ban”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 9: “Liberia, Rwanda and Uganda signed third-country removals agreements, and managed to secure US investments in their health sector.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 10: “The Central African Republic is one of 13 sub-Saharan African countries known to have signed a third-country removal agreement with the US – joining the ranks of Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Ghana, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Uganda.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The evidence provided contains general information about Burundi and US territories, but does not mention third-country removal agreements or the list of 13 sub-Saharan African countries.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Burundi, officially the Republic of Burundi, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is located in the Great Rift Valley at the junction between the African Great Lakes region and Southeastern Afri…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burundi
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Burundi National Defence Force (French: Force de Défense Nationale du Burundi; FDNB; Kirundi: Urwego rw'ukwivuna abansi rw'Uburundi) is the military of Burundi. A general staff commands the armed …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burundi_National_Defence_Force
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Tanzania–Burundi Standard Gauge Railway is an electrified railway line currently under construction. Connecting the Tanzanian Standard Gauge Railway with the planned railway network of Burundi, it…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanzania–Burundi_Standard_Gaug…
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 11: “Diplomatic sources quoted by the Wall Street Journal stated that the signing of these agreements was part of the discussions on trade relations between the US and African countries.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 12: “In Cameroon, a lawyer seeking to represent removed individuals was arbitrarily arrested.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found after searching.
check_circle
Claim 13: “More than 50 people have died in detention since January 2025.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources (France 24/Reuters analysis and #Mezha) confirm that 50 people have died in US immigration detention centers since the start of the campaign in January 2025.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The death rate in US immigration detention centres have more than doubled during President Donald Trump's second term, a Reuters analysis found, as authorities expanded arrests.
https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20260618-deaths-in-ice-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — These cases constitute part of the 50 people who have died in U.S. immigration detention centers since the start of Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign in January 2025, according to ICE. Accordin…
https://mezha.net/eng/bukvy/98ec14f3_deaths_mount_in/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Since recording this, the number of people who have died in ICE detention has gone up to at least 17. This is tragic, unacceptable, and illegal.In addition, 50 people have died in ICE detention. ICE h…
https://www.tiktok.com/discover/how-lany-people-have-died-fr…
info
Claim 14: “11 individuals were held in poor conditions for around two weeks in September 2025 [at the Bundase military camp in Ghana] before being forcibly transferred to Togo.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided consists of generic Wikipedia entries for the month of September and a song by Earth, Wind & Fire. There is no mention of the Bundase military camp or transfers to Togo.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The dates can vary from 21 September to 24 September (in UTC). September is mostly in the sixth month of the astrological calendar (and the first part of the seventh), which begins at the end of March…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — " September " is a song by the American band Earth, Wind & Fire and released as a single on November 18, 1978, by ARC / Columbia Records. [1] The song was written by Allee Willis and Maurice White, ba…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_(song)
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Feb 12, 2026 · See September holidays, advice, recipes, fun facts, and trivia, as well as important days you should know all about. September, in Old England, was called Haervest-monath (Harvest Month…
https://www.almanac.com/content/month-september-holidays-fun…
info
Claim 15: “In Eswatini, four of the first people transferred from the US were denied in-person access to a local lawyer for nine months until the Supreme Court upheld an order requiring the authorities to grant such access.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided consists of generic Wikipedia entries for the number 4 and a payment app. There is no mention of Eswatini or legal access for US transferees.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A four-sided plane figure is a quadrilateral or quadrangle, sometimes also called a tetragon. It can be further classified as a rectangle or oblong, kite, rhombus, and square.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/4
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — In mathematics, the number four is an even number and the smallest composite number. Four is also the second square number after one. A small minority of people have four fingers on each hand and four…
https://simple.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/4_(number)
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Four is a Buy Now, Pay Later app that lets you split any online purchase into 4 easy payments, made every two weeks. Download the app, get your one-time virtual card, and shop at hundreds of your favo…
https://www.paywithfour.com/
info
Claim 16: “On 12 June, a group of 17 people – among them Turks, Afghans and Iranians – were forcibly removed from the US and flown to Bangui, in the Central African Republic”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim is explicitly reported in one web search result ('African states must refuse to be complicit...'), but other results are generic Wikipedia entries about the CAR or unrelated dates. Only one specific source confirms the event.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — June 17 is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 197 days remain until the end of the year.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_17
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Turkey and the United States established diplomatic relations in 1927. Relations after World War II evolved from the Second Cairo Conference in December 1943 and Turkey's entrance into World War II on…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey–United_States_relations
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Turkish Airlines (Turkish: Türk Hava Yolları), or legally Türk Hava Yolları Anonim Ortaklığı, is the flag carrier of Turkey. As of June 2024, it operates scheduled services to 352 destinations (includ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_Airlines
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 17: “The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights adopted a resolution in November 2025 calling on African states not to enter into or maintain migration partnerships where there is a real risk of serious human rights violations.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.