Thirty-six African migrants expelled from the United States to Cameroon in mid-2026 have filed a lawsuit in Yaoundé seeking legal safeguards. The plaintiffs, hailing from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Angola, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Senegal, Zimbabwe, and Morocco, had previously secured protective status in the U.S. preventing their deportation to their home countries.

Their legal action targets both the Cameroonian government and the bilateral migration agreement with Washington. According to their legal representative, Barrister Joseph Fru Awah, the lawsuit aims to suspend the agreement and prevent the migrants from being sent back to their countries of origin.

Seeking justice for traumatized migrants

Joseph Fru Awah: As with any court filing, we are seeking a favorable ruling. Our primary demands include an immediate suspension of the exchange of notes between Cameroon and the United States under the existing migration pact. We also urge the court to clarify the legal status of these individuals in Cameroon and, crucially, to block their deportation to their home nations.

Challenging the legality of the U.S.-Cameroon migration deal

Joseph Fru Awah: My focus remains strictly on the legality of the agreement, not its financial implications. While I am not privy to the negotiations between sovereign nations, I emphasize that any accord must adhere to both national and international law. That is the foundation of our legal challenge. The Cameroonian and U.S. governments are free to enter any agreement they deem fit, but it must comply with established legal frameworks.

Our legal petition argues that the current framework fails to meet these requirements. We are therefore requesting the court to intervene, suspend the agreement, clarify the migrants’ status, and prohibit their forced repatriation.

A plea for urgent humanitarian intervention

Joseph Fru Awah: These individuals are severely traumatized. Take, for instance, the case of a plaintiff who has been hospitalized five times in the past six months. Six months after their arrival in Cameroon, their living conditions remain dire. This humanitarian crisis is precisely why we initiated these legal proceedings—to protect their fundamental rights.