A group of 36 African migrants expelled from the United States has taken legal action in Cameroon to challenge the bilateral migration agreement between Yaoundé and Washington. The move, disclosed by their legal representative, aims to suspend the enforcement of this deal, which permits the transfer of irregular migrants from the US to Cameroon. The plaintiffs are also seeking legal residency status to remain in the country.

According to their lawyer, the lawsuit seeks to block any future deportation to their countries of origin, citing credible fears of persecution or torture upon return. « Cameroon cannot serve as a transit point for sending individuals back to persecution or torture, » the attorney stated. The affected individuals hail from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Angola, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Senegal, Zimbabwe, and Morocco.

Controversial administrative situation

The defense argues that these migrants previously held US court rulings preventing their expulsion to their home countries. However, they were transferred to Cameroon between January and May 2026. Since arrival, they have been accommodated in a facility supported by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Their legal team highlights that they lack proper identification documents or a clear administrative status, with their movements still restricted. Cameroon is among African nations that have agreed to receive migrants expelled from the US under third-country transfer arrangements, alongside the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Eswatini.

US authorities maintain that when court orders prevent the deportation of certain migrants to their countries of origin, transfers to third countries remain legally permissible. The Yaoundé lawsuit could now prompt Cameroonian courts to rule on the conditions for implementing this mechanism within its borders.