Prisoners, bound hands and feet, being dragged by guards in the Salvadoran mega-prison CECOT, where the Trump administration illegally transferred Venezuelan migrants. Photo: Government of El Salvador.
Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar decried that the United States is pressuring several African countries to accept Venezuelan citizens deported from the US.
“The United States is putting considerable pressure on African countries to accept Venezuelans being deported from the United States, some directly from prison,” the minister said.
He added that Nigeria, with a population of 230 million, is not in a position to receive these migrants.
“It will be difficult for a country like Nigeria to accept them. We have enough problems as it is,” he said, highlighting the country’s logistical and social constraints. Tuggar also noted that it would be “unfair” for Nigeria to accept 300 Venezuelan deportees, as has been demanded by Washington in its negotiations with the African country.
El Salvador Denies Legal Responsibility For Arbitrarily Detained Venezuelan Migrants
The statement reflects the firm position of Africa’s most populous country, which faces its own internal challenges and therefore rules out taking in deported migrants.
The US pressure comes amid trade and diplomatic tensions between the United States and Nigeria. Minister Tuggar also addressed the new tariffs imposed by Trump, who threatened additional tariffs on countries aligned with the BRICS group.
The African nation expanded its diplomatic and trade relations with China, Russia, India, and South Africa, considered a sign of distancing itself from US strategic interests in West Africa.
(Telesur)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/SF
