Police in Equatorial Guinea pulled firearms on migrants deported there from the United States (US), according to three witnesses and video footage shared with Reuters, intensifying concerns about the treatment and safety of people sent to the Central African nation under a US deportation programme.
Deportees have complained of inadequate medical care, denial of legal assistance and “severe psychological distress” while being held at a hotel in Equatorial Guinea’s former capital, Malabo.
The altercation on Saturday began as a dispute over access to mobile phones but quickly escalated, with men wearing shirts bearing the words “National Police” pointing what appeared to be semi-automatic assault rifles at deportees inside the entrance to the hotel.
One migrant appeared to be kneeling on the ground while others screamed nearby.
Reuters reviewed the footage but could not independently verify the events that preceded the confrontation.
The Trump administration has since last year struck multiple agreements with African governments to accept migrants who it cannot legally return to their home countries.
Many of those deported under the so called third-country arrangements had previously won protection from US immigration judges, who found they could face torture or other abuses if repatriated.
–Reuters–
