Actualités

Migrants expelled from the us challenge Cameroon deportation pact in court

By nigerreport / August 7, 2026
JUSTICE

Migrants expelled from the US challenge deportation pact with Cameroon in court

Thirty-six African nationals forcibly returned from the United States have filed a lawsuit with the administrative court in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Their legal action seeks to block the deportation framework that enabled their transfer and to secure legal protection preventing their forced return to their home countries, where they allege persecution risks.

  • Immigration
Group of migrants gathered outside a court building in Yaoundé

A group of 36 African migrants deported from the United States has initiated legal proceedings in Cameroon to challenge a bilateral deportation agreement between Yaoundé and Washington. The case, filed with the administrative tribunal in Yaoundé, demands the suspension of the agreement that permits the transfer of undocumented migrants from the US to Cameroon. The plaintiffs are also seeking legal residency status to prevent their removal to their countries of origin.

According to their legal representative, the lawsuit aims to stop any further deportations to the migrants’ home nations. The lawyer argues that several clients face credible risks of persecution or torture if returned. « Cameroon cannot serve as a transit point for individuals facing persecution or torture, » stated the attorney, emphasizing the legal and humanitarian concerns at stake. The individuals involved hail from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Angola, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Senegal, Zimbabwe, and Morocco.

Ongoing administrative uncertainties

The migrants, who previously held US court orders blocking their deportation to their home countries, were transferred to Cameroon between January and May 2026. Since their arrival in Yaoundé, they have been accommodated in a facility supported by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Their legal team asserts that they lack proper identification documents or clear residency status, with their movements still heavily restricted. Cameroon is among African nations that have agreed to receive deportees from the US under third-country transfer arrangements. Other participating countries include the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, Eswatini, and Sierra Leone.

Under the previous US administration, authorities maintained that when court rulings prevent deportation to a migrant’s country of origin, transfers to a third country remain legally permissible. The Yaoundé case could now prompt Cameroonian courts to rule on the conditions governing this mechanism within its borders.

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