What did Benin, Ghana and Togo just agree to in Lomé?
On 11 September, Benin, Ghana, Togo, Burkina Faso and the UN refugee agency signed three tripartite agreements in Lomé. The texts do not trigger any immediate repatriation. Instead, they set up a framework for consultation, monitoring and preparation of future voluntary returns and reintegration. The central question remains simple and uncomfortable: can a return be genuinely safe when the violence that caused the flight has not ended?
In a region shaped by forced displacement, the word “return” can easily be heard as an instruction to pack up and go. The principle defended by the UNHCR is different: repatriation must be voluntary, safe and dignified, and refugees must be able to make an informed choice about their future.
The scale of displacement: what host countries are really carrying
Years of insecurity in Burkina Faso have pushed thousands of people across borders. Benin, Ghana and Togo now find themselves on the front line of a crisis they did not create.
UNHCR figures show the weight of the phenomenon. Benin recorded more than 11,000 refugees from Burkina Faso as of 31 May 2026. In Ghana, June 2026 statistics counted 13,368 Burkinabè refugees, nearly two-thirds of the country’s entire refugee population. Ghana had opened reception centres in the border areas of Tarikom and Zini and, in February 2025, granted prima facie refugee status to Burkinabè seeking protection.
Togo has also absorbed a major influx of people fleeing Sahel insecurity. According to UNHCR, the country hosted around 65,100 refugees and asylum seekers in June 2026, 86% of them from Burkina Faso.
These numbers give the Lomé agreements a different dimension. They are not about abstract population movements. Behind any future return operation are families who left their villages, abandoned their belongings and sometimes lost relatives.
Why a return cannot erase the causes of exile
This is where the role of the Burkinabè authorities becomes decisive. For years, Burkina Faso has faced an insurgency led notably by Islamist armed groups, alongside serious accusations concerning operations by government forces and allied militias.
Human Rights Watch states that the human rights situation deteriorated further in 2025. The organisation documents abuses attributed both to Islamist armed groups and to government forces and pro-government militias. It reports killings of civilians, forced displacement and growing restrictions targeting media, opposition and civil society.
In a report published in April 2026, Human Rights Watch documented 57 incidents and gathered testimony from hundreds of people to examine violence committed since 2023. The organisation considers that Burkinabè forces and their allied militias, as well as Islamist armed groups, are responsible for serious abuses that may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity. It calls for accountability through credible investigations.
These accusations directly concern the context into which refugees would be asked to return. A repatriation operation cannot be treated as a solution simply because a diplomatic agreement has been signed.
The junta, security guarantees and the protection gap
Since the September 2022 coup, Burkina Faso has been led by military authorities under Captain Ibrahim Traoré. Human Rights Watch reports that the junta extended the transition period and reduced political and civic space, with measures aimed at journalists, opponents and civil society organisations.
The organisation has also documented disappearances, forced conscription and restrictions on critical voices. In May 2026, it again denounced tightening measures against independent media and information.
For refugees, these elements are not secondary. The fundamental question remains protection: can they return to their villages without fearing new violence? Will their homes and land be accessible? Will they have civil status documents, healthcare, schools and livelihoods? And above all, will there be mechanisms to report possible violations?
UNHCR recalls that a durable return requires the root causes of displacement to be sufficiently addressed and peace to allow people to live without being forced to flee again.
Benin, Ghana and Togo: the responsibility of host countries
In this context, the stance of Benin, Ghana and Togo is a key part of the regional arrangement. By welcoming populations forced to flee, these three countries have assumed a heavy humanitarian responsibility despite their own security and economic challenges.
The Lomé agreement makes it possible not to set hospitality against return. It gives the countries concerned a framework to prepare for the future while maintaining the principle of voluntariness.
It is also a signal of regional cooperation. Gulf of Guinea countries are directly exposed to the consequences of the Sahel crisis. Population movements do not stop at borders and therefore require coordination between states, international organisations and local communities.
Benin, Ghana and Togo can thus be seen not only as neighbours of Burkina Faso, but also as actors in the regional response to the crisis.
A signature, not yet a return
The Lomé agreements are therefore more of a roadmap than a repatriation timetable. Their effectiveness will depend on how they are implemented and, above all, on the conditions that prevail in Burkina Faso.
The message to refugees is clear: their return must be voluntary and must happen when conditions of security and dignity are met. This caution is all the more important given that Burkina Faso remains marked by armed violence and accusations of abuses involving several actors in the conflict.
For Benin, Ghana and Togo, the challenge is now twofold: continue protecting those who need asylum while preparing, with UNHCR and the Burkinabè authorities, the conditions for a possible return.
Because a refugee only truly goes home when they can live there in safety. The real success of the Lomé agreements will not be measured by the number of people sent back to Burkina Faso, but by the number able to return freely, rebuild their lives and stay without being forced to flee again.
