{"id":2016,"date":"2025-07-23T07:30:15","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T07:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/?p=2016"},"modified":"2025-07-23T07:30:15","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T07:30:15","slug":"trumps-deportations-to-eswatini-and-south-sudan-spark-anger-across-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/?p=2016","title":{"rendered":"Trump&#8217;s Deportations to Eswatini and South Sudan Spark Anger Across Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n<div data-nosnippet=\"\">\n<p>Welcome to <em>Foreign Policy<\/em>\u2019s Africa Brief.<\/p>\n<p>The highlights this week: Africans express outrage over the Trump administration\u2019s deportation of <strong>migrants to Eswatini<\/strong>, the European Union imposes a fourth <strong>round of sanctions<\/strong> on officials and companies linked to Sudan\u2019s civil war, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels pledge to sign a <strong>peace deal<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode-fallback\">\n<h2 class=\"dek-heading\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/category\/africa-brief\/\">Sign up<\/a>  to receive Africa Brief in your inbox every Wednesday.            <\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<form data-shortcode-newsletter=\"africa_brief\" class=\"newsletter-unit-signup newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode email-capture--step-1 newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode-africa_brief\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-africa_brief newsletter-shortcode-africa_brief\">\n<div class=\"show-on-email-capture--signed-up hide-from-newsletter-subscriber newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode--container\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-unit newsletter-row\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-africa_brief\">\n<h2 class=\"dek-heading\">Sign up to receive Africa Brief in your inbox every Wednesday.<\/h2>\n<p>\n                        <button class=\"button\">Sign Up<\/button>\n                    <\/p>\n<div class=\"grid--flex newsletter-africa_brief newsletter-signup-container\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"Africa Brief sign up form\" tabindex=\"0\">\n<div class=\"buttons\">\n<div class=\"hide-from-newsletter-subscriber privacy-policy-container\">\n<div class=\"privacy-policy-acknowledge\">\n<p><small>By submitting your email, you agree to the <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/privacy\/\" target=\"_blank\">Privacy Policy<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/termsofuse\/\" target=\"_blank\">Terms of Use<\/a> and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.<\/small><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\n    <label for=\"email-africa_brief\">Enter your email<\/label><br \/>\n    <input type=\"email\" name=\"email\" class=\"hide-from-reg hide-from-sub\" id=\"email-africa_brief\" aria-required=\"true\" required=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>    <button class=\"button button--signup \" data-newsletter-id=\"africa_brief\" data-sourceid=\"In-article unit\" type=\"submit\"><br \/>\n      <span class=\"sign-up-text\">Sign Up<\/span><br \/>\n      <span class=\"loading-text\">Loading&#8230;<\/span><br \/>\n    <\/button>\n  <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<hr\/>\n<h3>Trump Deports Migrants to Eswatini<\/h3>\n<p>U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s deportation of migrants to African nations is sparking anger across the continent. Last week, Washington <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/eswatini-united-states-trump-deportation-immigrants-a5853b16b7b275cbcbfe6caff87d0bb8\">sent<\/a> five deportees from Cuba, Jamaica, Laos, Vietnam, and Yemen to the tiny nation of Eswatini, shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c80p315krr4o\">approved<\/a> the deportation of eight men to South Sudan, only one of whom was South Sudanese.<\/p>\n<p>Critics <a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2025\/07\/17\/africa\/africa-eswatini-trump-us-deportees-intl\">say<\/a> the Trump administration is leveraging foreign aid, visa bans, security cooperation, and tariffs to pressure African nations to accept U.S. deportees.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis situation sets a dangerous precedent whereby powerful nations may use smaller, economically weaker states as dumping grounds for unwanted individuals,\u201d the Multi Stakeholder Forum, a coalition of Eswatini\u2019s civil society groups, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/100071359807242\/posts\/16-july-2025multi-stakeholder-forum-swaziland-msf-statement-on-the-us-deportatio\/735534025501918\/\">said<\/a> in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>All five migrants deported to Eswatini were convicted of crimes; Tricia McLaughlin, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/triciaohio\/status\/1945274627976200206?s=46\">claimed<\/a> on social media that the men are \u201cso uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back.\u201d Eswatini has said that the men are being held in <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/EswatiniGovern1\/status\/1946225228255760533\">solitary confinement<\/a> at a maximum-security prison.<\/p>\n<p>Although Eswatini said that it plans to <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/EswatiniGovern1\/status\/1945482363418398866\">liaise<\/a> with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to repatriate the migrants, it is unclear how it will convince their countries of origin to accept them. The IOM, meanwhile, said that it has not been involved in the process or been asked to help with repatriation efforts.<\/p>\n<p>The details of the United States\u2019 deals with Eswatini and South Sudan remain classified, but in March, the Trump administration agreed to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/07\/08\/g-s1-76491\/migrants-salvadoran-prison-under-u-s-control\">pay<\/a> $6 million to El Salvador for mass deportations.<\/p>\n<p>Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, is governed by an absolute monarch, and dissent in the country is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amnesty.org\/en\/latest\/press-release\/2021\/07\/eswatini-dozens-killed-tortured-abducted-as-pro-democracy-protests-intensify\/\">violently crushed<\/a>. More than half of its population of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.worldbank.org\/en\/country\/eswatini\/overview\">1.2 million<\/a> people live on less than $4 a day.<\/p>\n<p>Although Eswatini\u2019s trade with the United States makes up <a href=\"https:\/\/wits.worldbank.org\/CountrySnapshot\/en\/SWZ\">just 1.7 percent<\/a> of its total trade, the country\u2019s trade with neighboring South Africa\u2014which faces 30 percent U.S. tariffs starting Aug. 1\u2014comprises almost 70 percent. Eswatini\u2019s Central Bank has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.centralbank.org.sz\/cbe-governor-tackles-how-us-tariffs-developments-impact-eswatini\/\">warned<\/a> that an economically weaker South Africa would affect Eswatini\u2019s exports.<\/p>\n<p>Analysts <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-migration-nigeria-deal-rwanda-south-sudan-1978d5923e8f110ec1c390a7a01723df\">expect<\/a> more African nations to accept third-country deportees in return for favorable U.S. policies. At a White House lunch earlier this month, Trump urged the leaders of Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal to accept deported nationals of third countries. Rwanda <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/rwanda-us-migrants-f2daf81e53b2dab91eb70c1393a1a4fe\">said<\/a> in May that it was in talks with the United States on a possible migrant deal.<\/p>\n<p>The Trump administration has also identified Angola, Benin, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, and Moldova as potential recipient countries, according to internal government documents <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/u-s-deportation-deals-with-angola-equatorial-guinea\/\">obtained<\/a> by CBS News.<\/p>\n<p>Nigeria, meanwhile, has been a notable holdout. Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c23gz78v5jjo.amp\">said<\/a> earlier this month that his country will resist U.S. pressure to accept deportees, despite Washington\u2019s new restrictions on visas issued to Nigerian nationals.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h3>The Week Ahead<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Thursday, July 24:<\/strong> Ghana releases its mid-year budget.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Friday, July 25, to Saturday, July 26:<\/strong> The EurAfrican Forum is held in Cascais, Portugal.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Saturday, July 26:<\/strong> The Women\u2019s Africa Cup of Nations final is held in Rabat, Morocco.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tuesday, <\/strong><strong>July 29: <\/strong>The United Nations Security Council is set to renew sanctions against the Central African Republic.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h3>What We\u2019re Watching<\/h3>\n<p><strong>EU sanctions Sudan. <\/strong>On Friday, the European Union <a href=\"https:\/\/www.consilium.europa.eu\/en\/press\/press-releases\/2025\/07\/18\/sudan-council-sanctions-individuals-and-entities-over-serious-human-rights-violations-and-threats-to-the-peace-stability-and-security-of-the-country\/\">imposed<\/a> a fourth round of <a href=\"https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/legal-content\/EN\/TXT\/?uri=OJ:L_202501480\">sanctions<\/a> on two Sudanese officials and two companies linked to fighting in the country\u2019s ongoing civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).<\/p>\n<p>The EU targeted RSF commander Hussein Barsham and SAF commander Abu Aqla Mohamed Kaikal, respectively, for leading operations that resulted in mass atrocities and targeting a historically marginalized group. It also sanctioned Alkhaleej Bank, which is largely owned by companies connected to family members of RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, and Red Rock Mining, which provides funds and weapons to the SAF.<\/p>\n<p>In recent weeks, the RSF has been battling to gain full control of North Kordofan state, where more than <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/sudan-kordofan-darfur-humanitarian-crisis-f4f5b146cdcaef9303a7caf02947ec07\">450 civilians<\/a> were killed the weekend of July 12. Meanwhile, the SAF has launched an <a href=\"https:\/\/news.un.org\/en\/story\/2025\/07\/1165420\">offensive<\/a> in West Kordofan, which has killed dozens of civilians.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Trump reignites dam dispute. <\/strong>Trump<a href=\"https:\/\/www.madamasr.com\/en\/2025\/07\/15\/news\/u\/trump-says-us-working-on-resolving-grand-ethiopian-renaissance-dam-dispute\/\"> said<\/a> last week that his administration was \u201cworking on\u201d resolving Egypt and Ethiopia\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/carnegieendowment.org\/sada\/2023\/01\/the-nile-dispute-beyond-water-security?lang=en\">dispute<\/a> over a mega-dam on the Nile. Egypt has long claimed that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), constructed between 2011 and 2023, threatens its water supply from the Nile.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf I am Egypt, I want to have water in the Nile,\u201d said Trump, who falsely <a href=\"https:\/\/apanews.net\/trump-repeats-claims-us-funded-ethiopias-nile-dam\/\">claimed<\/a> the dam was \u201cstupidly\u201d funded by the United States. (Ethiopia <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/46117\/\">maintains<\/a> the dam was entirely <a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2015\/03\/06\/africa\/grand-reneissance-dam-ethiopia\">domestically funded<\/a>, but it was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/china\/diplomacy\/article\/3094650\/chinas-allies-loggerheads-over-ethiopia-dam-will-beijing\">financed<\/a> in part through <a href=\"https:\/\/china.aiddata.org\/projects\/59363\/\">loans<\/a> from the Export-Import Bank of China.)<\/p>\n<p>Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, an ally of Trump, praised Washington\u2019s stance, while Trump\u2019s foray into the dispute has <a href=\"https:\/\/africa.businessinsider.com\/local\/lifestyle\/ethiopiaegypt-dispute-escalates-after-trumps-controversial-remarks-on-dollar5-billion\/resfcsc#google_vignette\">angered<\/a> Ethiopian officials. During his first term, Trump failed to negotiate a deal to ease tensions over the GERD. At the time, Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-africa-54531747\">said<\/a> he deserved a Nobel Peace Prize for having deescalated the dispute.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump held grudges against Ethiopia for not adhering to his self-styled mediation efforts between Ethiopia and Egypt eight years ago,\u201d Fekahmed Negash, a former Ethiopian GERD negotiator, recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/46117\/\">told<\/a> Ethiopian newspaper the<em> Reporter<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>M23 peace deal.<\/strong> On Saturday, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/africa\/congo-m23-rebels-sign-declaration-principles-end-fighting-sources-say-2025-07-18\/\">signed<\/a> a declaration of principles to end fighting in Qatar-brokered talks. The declaration laid out a plan for a permanent cease-fire. Massad Boulos, Trump\u2019s Africa advisor, who played a key role in brokering the Congo-Rwanda <a href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/peace-agreement-between-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo-and-the-republic-of-rwanda\">deal<\/a> in June, was present at the signing.<\/p>\n<p>However, details of the deal still need to be hashed out, and doubts remain in Congo over the prospect of lasting peace. While a Congolese government spokesperson has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/7\/19\/dr-congo-m23-rebels-sign-deal-in-qatar-to-end-fighting-in-eastern-congo\">said<\/a> that the agreement included the rebels\u2019 \u201cnon-negotiable withdrawal\u201d from territories it has seized in eastern Congo, M23 leaders have <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/congo-m23-rebels-peace-qatar-rwanda-f80166117d557991896ef89d4cd3a324\">suggested<\/a> otherwise.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Pretoria\u2019s corruption inquiry.<\/strong> South African President Cyril Ramaphosa <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/07\/13\/world\/africa\/south-africa-police-corruption-ramaphosa.html\">announced<\/a> last week that he was suspending Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and opening a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-za\/news\/other\/no-charges-no-step-aside-mbalula-backs-mchunu-amid-allegations-and-ongoing-probe\/ar-AA1J2fwn\">corruption inquiry<\/a> into allegations that Mchunu had colluded with crime syndicates.<\/p>\n<p>Lt. Gen. Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, the police chief in KwaZulu-Natal province, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cx205ykppdjo\">claimed<\/a> in a press conference earlier this month that Mchunu received payments from a corruption suspect and had shut down a unit that investigated politically motivated killings in order to shield politicians, prosecutors, police officials, and members of the judiciary with ties to criminal gangs. Mchunu has denied the allegations.<\/p>\n<p>Ramaphosa has been under fire lately for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theafricareport.com\/388170\/south-african-president-ramaphosa-looks-weak-as-his-allies-face-corruption-claims\/\">failing<\/a> to discipline current and former members of his African National Congress party for alleged corruption.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h3>This Week in Critical Minerals<\/h3>\n<p>KoBold Metals, a U.S. mining start-up backed by Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/energy\/kobold-metals-backed-by-bezos-gates-secures-deal-disputed-congo-lithium-deposit-2025-07-18\/\">announced<\/a> on Friday that it signed an agreement with Congo to acquire the contested Manono lithium project in northern Congo, a few weeks after the Trump administration secured a minerals-for-security deal with the country.<\/p>\n<p>Since 2023, Australian-based AVZ Minerals has been in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/markets\/commodities\/australias-avz-minerals-scores-legal-victory-against-congo-over-disputed-lithium-2025-03-14\/\">legal battle<\/a> with the Congolese government and China\u2019s state-backed Zijin Mining over the rights to Manono, which is one of the world\u2019s largest untapped lithium deposits.<\/p>\n<p>Congo revoked AVZ\u2019s mining permit in 2023 and later awarded the rights to a subsidiary of Zijin, leading AVZ to bring the case to the International Chamber of Commerce\u2019s International Court of Arbitration and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).<\/p>\n<p>In March, AVZ <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/markets\/commodities\/australias-avz-minerals-scores-legal-victory-against-congo-over-disputed-lithium-2025-03-14\/\">won<\/a> a legal victory over Congo, with the International Court of Arbitration <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2025-03-14\/congo-state-miner-must-pay-39-million-to-avz-in-lithium-dispute\">ordering<\/a> Congo\u2019s state-owned Comini\u00e8re to pay around $42.5 million for failing to comply with previous rulings. Two months later, AVZ <a href=\"https:\/\/www.koboldmetals.com\/news\/kobold-metals-to-acquire-avzs-interests-in-the-manono-lithium-deposit-in-drc\/\">agreed<\/a> on a framework for KoBold to acquire its interests in Manono. But that has not yet <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chemanalyst.com\/NewsAndDeals\/NewsDetails\/avz-minerals-set-to-restart-legal-action-against-drc-over-contested-lithium-project-37540\">happened<\/a>, and on Monday, AVZ <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/africa\/avz-minerals-says-congo-deal-with-kobold-breaches-arbitration-order-2025-07-21\/\">said<\/a> that the new Congo-KoBold deal violates an interim arbitration order by the ICSID.<\/p>\n<p>For now, KoBold plans to invest more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.koboldmetals.com\/news\/kobold-metals-to-acquire-avzs-interests-in-the-manono-lithium-deposit-in-drc\/?aid=01\">$1 billion<\/a> in the project and has to apply for exploration permits before July 31.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h3>FP\u2019s Most Read This Week<\/h3>\n<hr\/>\n<h3>What We\u2019re Reading<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Destruction of contraceptives.<\/strong> In the<em> Guardian,<\/em> Carter Sherman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/jul\/18\/trump-administration-destroy-contraceptives-usaid-africa\">reports<\/a> that the U.S. government plans to destroy $9.7 million worth of contraceptives that were \u201calmost certainly\u201d intended for women across Africa as part of its dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).<\/p>\n<p>A State Department spokesperson said that it would cost millions of dollars to rebrand and sell the contraceptives, but a congressional aide told the <em>Guardian <\/em>that two-thirds of the stock did not feature USAID labels.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis action would be a waste of U.S. taxpayer dollars as well as an abdication of U.S. global leadership in preventing unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions and maternal deaths,\u201d Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foreign.senate.gov\/imo\/media\/doc\/commodities_letter.pdf\">wrote<\/a> in a letter on June 30 to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/07\/23\/trump-deportations-migrants-africa-eswatini-south-sudan\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to Foreign Policy\u2019s Africa Brief. The highlights this week: Africans express outrage over the Trump administration\u2019s deportation of migrants to Eswatini, the European Union imposes a fourth round of sanctions on officials and companies linked to Sudan\u2019s civil war, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels pledge to sign a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2017,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2016","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politcical-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2016","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2016"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2016\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2017"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}