Thirty-six African nationals, recently deported from the United States to Cameroon, have taken legal action in a Yaoundé administrative court. Their lawsuit seeks to suspend the bilateral agreement enabling their forced return to Cameroonian soil and to secure legal protection to prevent further deportation to their home countries, where they claim exposure to persecution and grave human rights threats.

The legal challenge was filed by their representative, Me Joseph Fru Awah, who argues that Cameroon cannot serve as a transit point for individuals facing imminent risks of torture or persecution. The migrants, originating from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Angola, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Senegal, Zimbabwe, and Morocco, were transferred between January and May 2026 after U.S. courts blocked their deportation to their countries of origin.

Legal limbo and restricted freedoms

Despite their transfer, the group remains in administrative limbo. According to their lawyer, they lack formal identification documents and face strict movement restrictions within Cameroon. Their current accommodation is provided through a facility supported by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), highlighting the logistical challenges of managing deported individuals under such arrangements.

Several African nations, including the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Eswatini, have also entered similar agreements with the United States to accept deported migrants when direct repatriation is legally blocked. The Cameroonian case now tests the limits of such arrangements, with the court poised to rule on whether the agreement complies with national and international legal standards.