For several days now, Guinean nationals detained in closed centres have been alerting us to deportations planned for this week to Guinea. The deportation attempts we are aware of were scheduled from the 22nd to 27th of September and concern people detained at the centres in Vottem, Bruges and Merksplas.
In case the Immigration Office wants to deport a foreign national who does not have a passport, the embassy of the country in question plays a key role: it is responsible for officially confirming the person’s nationality and issuing a laissez-passer (a travel document that replaces a passport). Without this document, the deportation cannot theoretically take place. In short, whether or not people can be deported depends on Belgium’s relations with the embassy of the country concerned.
It is not a coincidence that deportations to Guinea are planned. Just a few months ago, the Guinean embassy stated that it would refuse to issue laissez-passers to people who had been living in Belgium for several years, had established family ties here, or were particularly vulnerable. The embassy asserted the need to meet with the person concerned for a thorough examination of their personal situation before making a decision on the laissez-passer.
Today, however, flights are announced without the embassy being able to hear from the individuals concerned about their specific situations. The Immigration Office also refuses to provide proof of the issuance of laissez-passer to those threatened with deportation and their lawyers. In the centre, social workers (who are referred to as return assistants) reportedly told people that they would only have access to their laissez-passer upon arrival at the airport. The detainees concerned are worried, doubt the authenticity of the documents, and fear collective deportation to Guinea. Many of them have family in Belgium and fear repression upon their return to Guinea.
New agreements with Guinea
Last month, Guinea’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Morissanda Kouyaté, visited Brussels and met with the Minister of Asylum and Migration, Anneleen van Bossuyt. Together, the two re-established ties between Belgium and Guinea to agree on the repatriation of Guinean nationals present ‘illegally’ in Belgium.
Nous avons besoin de nos ressources humaines. Nous ne voulons pas qu’elles partent, et celles qui sont parties, nous voulons les attirer pour qu’elles reviennent. Donc, on n’est pas un pays qui pousse ses citoyens à la migration illégale’.’
Morissanda Kouyaté
During this meeting, both ministers agreed on one shared objective: to facilitate the forced deportation of Guinean nationals in detention centres. It therefore seems clear to us that the planned deportations are a direct consequence of these agreements. Despite the contradictory statements made by the Guinean embassy, there appears to be a risk of more regular deportations to Guinea in the future. The deportation notices received this week are proof of this: Belgium’s political and diplomatic agreements with third countries have direct and rapid consequences on the deportation of people in detention centres.
Since October 2024, groups of Guinean people and activists have been mobilising and demonstrating in front of the Guinean embassy and the Immigration Office to protest against the embassy’s issuance of laissez-passer. To our knowledge, no laissez-passer have been issued by the embassy since February 2025.
The lack of transparency on the part of the Belgian state and the Guinean authorities regarding the situation of Guinean nationals in detention centres is alarming.
Fortunately, most of the detainees who received flight reservations this week were able to refuse deportation, as no escort was arranged. However, we fear that this first wave of reservations is part of a strategy by the IO to deport them en masse in a second attempt, either by commercial flight or by collective flight, this time with an escort!
So let’s stay alert for possible mobilisations!
Down with borders and detention centres.
Freedom for all.
