Trump Turns to Rwanda in Search for Migrant Deportation Deal (The Africa Report – May 6)

Jeffrey Smith, founding director of Washington-based advocacy group Vanguard Africa, offered a scathing critique of the proposed deal.

“Deporting immigrants to Rwanda is both morally and legally reprehensible. At its core, the plan is simply inhumane, while also being a violation of long-existing international human rights laws and agreements,” Smith tells The Africa Report.

“The Kagame dictatorship has repeatedly shown itself to not be a reliable, good-faith international partner. It has done so, for instance, by politicising the issue of refugee and immigrant rights, portraying itself as a benign third party, when in fact this is merely a ploy to garner positive headlines and a cynical way in which to compel Western governments, like the US, to look the other way when human rights abuses are committed.”

Smith’s comments reflect broader concerns among rights advocates, who argue that the outsourcing of deportations to countries with questionable human rights records risks legitimising authoritarian governance under the guise of migration management.

Rwanda Responds Warmly to Trump Request to Take Noncitizen Deportees (Washington Post – May 1)

Jeffrey Smith, executive director of the pro-democracy nonprofit Vanguard Africa, said any plan to deport immigrants to Rwanda would be both “morally and legally reprehensible.”

“This is merely a ploy to garner positive headlines and a cynical way in which to compel Western governments, like the U.S., to look the other way when inevitable human rights abuses are committed,” Smith said.

Tension High in Tanzania Ahead of Opposition Leader’s Treason Trial (Radio France International – April 22)

For the NGO Vanguard Africa, Tanzania is headed toward an election with a "foregone conclusion".

"Tanzanians regularly voice frustration with elections that do not meaningfully allow citizens to hold political elites accountable. No one seems to be listening," it wrote on social media.

US Africa Week Ahead: Tanzania in the Hot Seat (The Africa Report – April 14)

Tundu Lissu had been scheduled to travel to Washington this week “to discuss the upcoming elections and need for international support for a free and fair process”, according to Jeffrey Smith, founder of pro-democracy advocacy firm Vanguard Africa and a registered lobbyist for Lissu since 2019.

“In today’s #Tanzania, calling for electoral reforms and demanding free and fair elections is tantamount to treason,” Smith said on X. “@TunduALissu survived an assassination attempt in 2017 and he’ll survive this too. Such criminal treatment of the opposition is deplorable.”

Mounting Calls to Free Niger’s Deposed President (SEMAFOR – March 28)

Bazoum’s supporters have launched a global campaign for the 65-year-old’s release as they worry he and his wife are being forgotten. “They’re being used as hostages, as human shields, for their captors, who actually rule from the same palace,” Jeffrey Smith, executive director of advocacy group Vanguard Africa, told Semafor, urging world leaders to call for their release.

Donald Trump shoots his own global mouthpiece (The Economist – March 21)

Never before have people had access to such a wide range of news sources. There are, however, exceptions, particularly in parts of Africa where Voice of America covers smaller countries and contested elections that are often ignored. Its publicity can play a role in protecting opposition politicians and activists. “In shining a spotlight on individual leaders, VOA helps to add a layer of security for them,” says Jeffrey Smith, of Vanguard Africa, a pro-democracy outfit based in Washington. “It lets leaders of oppressive governments know that the world — and that Washington in particular — is paying attention.”

Congo courts Washington as Rwandan‑backed rebels seize Goma (The Africa Report – January 31)

Jeffrey Smith, a long-time observer of the Congolese conflict, whose firm, Vanguard Africa, notably advocates for former presidential candidate Martin Fayulu, says efforts to resolve the conflict '“definitely need leadership.” “It seems as if leaders on the continent are either unwilling or unable to do so. For a long time, Kagame has been left to do as he pleases, even as he has destabilized eastern Congo for a generation now … The fulcrum, however, has shifted toward being outwardly critical of Kigali and their involvement in regional wars.”

Rwanda-DRC Tension: Is Kagame too valuable to be isolated over M23 backing? (The Africa Report – January 29)

Without adequate pressure and sanctions from Washington, there is little indication that Kigali will withdraw from Congo or cease its direct, long-running support for the M23, Jeffrey Smith, the founding director of pro-democracy group Vanguard Africa, tells The Africa Report. “Kagame grows in strength and becomes more emboldened when he is allowed to actwith impunity , as is the case today ,” says Smith.

Global Push Grows to Free Niger’s Former President Mohamed Bazoum (Radio France International – January 28)

Niger's president Mohamed Bazoum has spent 550 days as a hostage of the military junta in the capital, Niamey. His lawyers say that his detention is setting a dangerous precedent and have launched a global campaign to have him released.