Ten Cameroonians, deported from the United States under the Trump administration, have been released after spending three weeks in detention at the Direction de la Police Judiciaire (DPJ) in Yaoundé. The government confirmed their release but did not explain the reasons for their detention.
The conditions of their detention have raised serious concerns. According to testimonies, men and women were crammed into the same cell, living in conditions of total promiscuity. At the same time, nationals from other countries, arriving on the same flight from the United States, were reportedly housed in furnished apartments and received adequate food. This difference in treatment has raised questions about possible discrimination against Cameroonians.
The reason given by the director of the judicial police, Commissioner Bruno Glede, to justify this detention is controversial. He allegedly mentioned an investigation into the deportees' alleged involvement in acts of vandalism against American embassies, a justification deemed "nonsense" given that no Cameroonian diplomatic mission has been vandalized in the United States. Contacted several times, Commissioner Glede did not respond to requests.
An image of the cell where the deportees were held shows a woman lying on the floor, without a bed or privacy, illustrating the precarious living conditions they endured for 21 days, without information being passed on to their families.
This case raises questions about a possible implicit policy of retaliation by Cameroon against its deported citizens. The government's silence fuels suspicions of discriminatory treatment. Attention is now focused on the medical and psychological follow-up of the deportees, as well as on the number of other Cameroonians potentially facing similar situations.
In 2022, Human Rights Watch documented cases of Cameroonians deported from the United States who suffered serious harm after their return, including arbitrary arrests, detention in inhumane conditions, sexual violence, and torture. The United States deported over 100 Cameroonians in 2020.
