Kampala, Uganda | URN | Amnesty International has criticised plans by five European Union member states to establish “return hubs” in Uganda and Rwanda for migrants facing deportation from Europe, warning that the arrangements could expose them to serious human rights violations.
The criticism comes as Austria, Denmark, Germany, Greece and the Netherlands meet today to assess progress on plans to deport migrants to countries outside Europe, including nations where some of those affected may never have set foot.
Eve Geddie, Director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office, said the proposed return hubs posed a significant risk of arbitrary detention, torture, ill-treatment and forced onward returns to migrants’ countries of origin.
She warned that the centres could effectively become sites where European governments outsource detention and deportation, creating what she described as “cruel black holes” for human rights. She urged governments involved in the discussions to reject the plans.
Geddie said Amnesty was particularly concerned that negotiations appeared to be focusing on Uganda and Rwanda, which the organisation says have poor human rights records, amid continuing conflict and political instability in the wider Great Lakes region.
She also criticised what she described as the EU’s broader “migration diplomacy” approach, arguing that it reflected unequal power relations and an attempt by European governments to shift their migration responsibilities to countries in the Global South.
According to Geddie, many of these countries already host significantly larger refugee populations than European states despite having fewer resources. Amnesty further argued that previous attempts by European governments to outsource migration controls, including the Italy-Albania arrangement, had demonstrated the disproportionate impact such policies could have on racialised migrants.
The organisation said the political push for increased deportations was also being fuelled by xenophobic and racist rhetoric, including chants calling for migrants to be “sent back” that were heard in the European Parliament in June.
Amnesty said it would continue to challenge the legality and human rights implications of policies aimed at transferring migration control and deportation responsibilities outside Europe.
The organisation has repeatedly warned that return hubs could not be implemented in a manner that fully complies with human rights standards because of the risk of arbitrary detention, ill-treatment and automatic deportation to countries of origin.
While details of the proposed arrangements have not been publicly disclosed, Amnesty said negotiations between the five EU countries were reportedly at an advanced stage with Uganda and Rwanda.
It also cited reports of a planned facility in Uganda that could become operational in 2027 and accommodate up to 10,000 people.
Amnesty said its concerns about Uganda were based on what it described as a long record of human rights violations, including repression, unlawful detention and deportations. It also pointed to Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, which criminalises consensual same-sex conduct.
Uganda has previously accepted migrants deported from the United States, adding to its emerging role in arrangements involving the transfer of migrants from Western countries.
The proposed EU return hubs are part of broader efforts by European governments to strengthen deportation systems and secure agreements with third countries to receive people who are not allowed to remain in Europe.
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