US deportees in Cameroon face limbo

US deportees sent to Cameroon under third-country removals are living in uncertainty, with some saying they cannot return to their home countries and do not know whether Cameroon will allow them to stay.

About 50 people from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Angola, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Senegal, Zimbabwe and Morocco have arrived in Cameroon since January. They are among hundreds of people deported from the United States to African countries over the past 18 months.

The deportations are part of US President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, which includes sending people the United States cannot legally return home to other countries willing to accept them. Cameroon is on a list that also includes Eswatini, Equatorial Guinea and Liberia.

Deportees interviewed by AFP said they were sent to an unknown destination, arrived with only their clothes, and had phones and passports confiscated. One woman who had lived in the United States since early childhood said she was shackled on the flight and considered herself stateless because she lacked documents for Sudan, Ethiopia or Eritrea.

The deportees said hygiene supplies from the International Organization for Migration were insufficient, medical care was limited and there was no psychological support. They also said almost all of them had contracted malaria.

Cameroonian authorities have made no official comment about the deportees. The deportees' lawyer, Fru Joseph Awah, has asked a Cameroon court to suspend forced returns, arguing that they breach international law.

Some deportees have already been sent to home countries or other states despite feared mistreatment. Two people from Morocco described as lesbians have been living in hiding since their return. Others have had interviews with the UN refugee agency, although Cameroon may still decide not to accept them.