A group of 36 African migrants expelled from the United States has taken legal action in Cameroon to challenge a bilateral migration agreement between Yaoundé and Washington. Their lawyer, Me Joseph Fru Awah, confirmed the filing of the case before the Yaoundé administrative court, aiming to suspend the enforcement of this pact that permits the transfer of irregular migrants from the U.S. to Cameroon.

The lawsuit also seeks to secure legal residency status for the claimants, preventing their forced return to their countries of origin. Their legal representative argues that several clients risk persecution or torture if repatriated. « Cameroon cannot serve as a transit point for sending individuals back to persecution or torture, » stated Me Joseph Fru Awah during the proceedings.

The migrants hail from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Angola, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Senegal, Zimbabwe, and Morocco.

Administrative limbo fuels legal battle

According to their legal counsel, these individuals previously held U.S. court orders blocking their deportation to their home countries. Despite this, they were transferred to Cameroon between January and May 2026. Since their arrival in Yaoundé, they have been accommodated in a facility supported by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Their lawyers highlight that they remain undocumented, lack clear legal status, and face movement restrictions. Cameroon is one of several African nations that have agreed to accept migrants expelled from the U.S. to third countries, alongside the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Eswatini, and Guinea.

The Trump administration’s policy asserts that when U.S. court rulings block deportation to a migrant’s country of origin, transferring them to a third country remains legally permissible. The ongoing case in Yaoundé may now prompt Cameroonian courts to rule on the application of this mechanism within its borders.