Stranded in Yaoundé: The Non-Cameroonian Migrants Caught in a U.S. Deportation Deal [+video]

CAMEROONONLINE.ORG | Imagine fleeing persecution in your home country, traveling thousands of miles to seek asylum, and finally being granted legal protection from being sent back. Now imagine that instead of finding a safe haven, you are shackled, put on a plane, and deported to a country you have never been to, where you know no one, and where you hold no legal status.

This is the terrifying reality for dozens of migrants caught up in the expansion of third-country deportation agreements.

In our latest featured video, we explore the human toll of these policies, focusing on the recent deportation of 36 migrants from the U.S. to Cameroon—a country with which they have absolutely no ties.

From Asylum Seekers to “Terrorist” Treatment

The video highlights the harrowing journey of three women from Ghana’s LGBTQ+ community. After fleeing persecution in their homeland, they arrived in the U.S. in 2024. While U.S. immigration authorities granted them legal protection that prevented their return to Ghana, they were instead deported to Cameroon early this year.

Zanab (whose name was changed for her protection) describes the heartbreaking experience of her deportation:

“I felt like a terrorist because… what on earth did I do to be shackled like that, both hands and feet? I can’t even move. I just came to the United States for safety. I didn’t expect that at all.”

Trapped in Yaoundé

For these deportees, arriving in Cameroon was only the beginning of a new ordeal.

• Arbitrary Detention: For their first two months in Cameroon, the deportees were held in a government compound in the capital, Yaoundé. They were only allowed outside after organizing a hunger strike.

• Curfews and Restrictions: Even now, they are subjected to strict sundown curfews and are legally prohibited from working.

• Legal Limbo: Their asylum requests in Cameroon remain unapproved, leaving them without a safety net or a way to build a life.

As their lawyer, Fruit Joseph, points out, these individuals are being doubly victimized. They are running from a country that persecuted them, only to be placed in an unfamiliar nation where they still face the threat of harm and hold no legal rights.

The Cost of Closed-Door Deals

How does a sovereign nation agree to take in deportees who aren’t their citizens? The details of the agreement between the U.S. and Cameroon remain largely classified.

However, investigative reports suggest a financial lever was used. According to a New York Times investigation cited in the video, Washington temporarily withheld a $30 million payment to the UN refugee agency in Cameroon, allegedly only releasing the funds after the country agreed to accept the deportees.

Cameroonian officials, meanwhile, frame the agreement as a diplomatic courtesy. Evolen, a former minister and member of Cameroon’s ruling party, described the arrangement as a “relationship of partnership of mutual respect,” noting that Cameroon agreed to keep its borders open to assist a strategic ally.

A Future of Uncertainty

While politicians debate border policies and diplomatic leverage, the human cost is being paid by people like Zanab. Left in a country where they are not welcome, unable to work, and terrified of what tomorrow might bring, these migrants are trapped in a geopolitical blind spot.