Thirty-six Africans expelled from the United States to Cameroon in 2026 have initiated legal proceedings in Yaoundé to obtain legal protection from their ‘host country’. Their lawyer announced on Wednesday that they are also seeking the suspension of the migration agreement with Washington, as well as a status allowing them to reside legally in Cameroon. The complaint was filed with the Administrative Court of Yaoundé.
In a statement sent to AFP, Me Fru Awah, the lawyer for the applicants, indicated that the request is primarily aimed at avoiding any deportation to their countries of origin. ‘Cameroon cannot be used as a transit country to send people back to persecution or torture,’ he denounced. The expulsions took place under a controversial US policy of sending foreign nationals who are in the United States illegally to third countries.
Coming from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ghana, Angola, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Senegal, Zimbabwe, and Morocco, these 36 individuals were protected by the US justice system against deportation to their home countries and were expelled to Cameroon between January and May 2026. They now face the risk of being deported from Cameroon to their countries of origin.
Since their arrival in Yaoundé, these individuals, who live in a center managed by Cameroonian authorities in coordination with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), remain ‘deprived of identity documents and clear legal status’ and are ‘subject to travel restrictions,’ stated Me Fru Awah.
Cameroon is among the African countries that have agreed to host individuals expelled from the United States, alongside the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Rwanda, South Sudan, Eswatini, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Sierra Leone. The Trump administration maintains that although it cannot return these individuals to their countries of origin, nothing prohibits it from sending them to third countries.
An AFP investigation revealed that the United States has offered multi-million dollar deals and threatened visa restrictions to incentivize third countries, particularly in Africa, to accept expelled individuals, whether they are from Africa or other continents.
Captured & Published at: 2026-08-06 19:23:39 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://2424.mg/migration-des-africains-expulses-des-etats-unis-vers-le-cameroun-demandent-la-protection-de-leur-pays-daccueil-devant-la-justice/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=migration-des-africains-expulses-des-etats-unis-vers-le-cameroun-demandent-la-protection-de-leur-pays-daccueil-devant-la-justice