A group of 36 African migrants expelled from the United States has initiated legal proceedings in Cameroon to contest a bilateral migration agreement between Yaoundé and Washington. The move, disclosed through their legal representative, targets the suspension of a pact permitting the transfer of irregular migrants from the US to Cameroon. Additionally, the plaintiffs seek recognition of a legal status allowing them to remain in Cameroon permanently.

The legal challenge also aims to prevent deportation to the migrants’ countries of origin, where their representatives argue they face credible threats of persecution or torture. “Using Cameroon as a transit hub to send individuals back to danger contradicts fundamental rights,” stated their lawyer during a press briefing. The affected individuals hail from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Angola, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Senegal, Zimbabwe, and Morocco.

Administrative limbo fuels legal action

Their legal team contends that prior US court rulings had previously blocked their deportation to their home countries. Despite this, they were transferred to Cameroon between January and May 2026. Upon arrival in Yaoundé, they were accommodated in a facility managed with support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Their lawyers highlight that the group lacks proper identification documents or a defined legal status, with their movements still restricted under current arrangements. Cameroon is among several African nations that have agreed to accept US-deported migrants as third-country destinations, alongside the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Eswatini.

US authorities maintain that when deportation to a migrant’s country of origin is legally obstructed, transfers to alternative states remain permissible. The Yaoundé court’s upcoming ruling could set a precedent for how such mechanisms are enforced within Cameroon’s jurisdiction.