Democracy Hub sues gov’t over US deportee detention deal
By Esther Korantemaa Offei
Civil society group Democracy Hub has filed a writ at the Supreme Court challenging what it describes as an “unconstitutional and illegal” Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Government of Ghana and the United States of America for the reception and detention of deported West African nationals.
The group contends that the MoU, which allegedly allows the US to transfer third-country nationals into Ghana for temporary detention and onward rendition, violates both Ghana’s Constitution and international human rights obligations.
The Supreme Court has fixed Wednesday, 22 October 2025, to hear an application for an interlocutory injunction seeking to halt the implementation of the agreement pending the final determination of the case.
According to Democracy Hub, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, disclosed in September that Ghana had reached an understanding with the United States to receive and temporarily detain deported West African nationals from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities.
The arrangement was said to form part of broader negotiations to lift visa sanctions imposed by Washington on Ghana.
Since then, the group says 42 individuals have been repatriated in three separate batches: on 6 September, 19 September and 13 October 2025, and detained under armed military custody at the Bundase Military Training Camp.
Democracy Hub alleges that the deportees were held in “deplorable conditions for weeks without charge, without access to lawyers, and under inhumane conditions.”
