The decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Cameroonians is fraught with far-reaching consequences, particularly as the situation in Cameroon’s North and South West (Former Southern Cameroons) regions remains perilous, with people getting killed every day. This policy shift, originally part of broader immigration adjustments under the Trump administration, could force thousands of Cameroonians to face conditions that many experts agree and have warned could be tantamount to a return to instability and danger.
For decades, TPS has acted as a lifeline for individuals in the US, fleeing conditions in their home countries that render return unsafe. In Cameroon, the regions of North West and South West (Former Southern Cameroons) have been mired in a protracted conflict stemming from long-standing grievances between the Anglophone community and the French dominated central government. Reports from international organizations and government agencies such as the United Nations, Human Rights Watch, and the U.S. Department of State highlight that the conflict marked by periodic outbreaks of violence, abductions, and brutal attacks has devastated communities, displaced families, and severely undermined local security and governance. A conflict so under-reported that, it has featured repeatedly on the list of most neglected conflicts in world compiled by the Norwegian Refugee Council.
The violence in these regions has often been described as emblematic of the broader issues within Cameroon. The conflict in this former Southern Cameroons, with its unique root causes (which the central government under 92 years old Paul Biya has woefully failed to resolve) and has reverberated and exposed other ethnic and political tensions as well as disputes in the country, thus creating a security vacuum where lawlessness is thriving, amidst an over stretched military grappling with armed conflicts on many fronts. Many residents, especially from the conflict prone English speaking region of the country have faced direct threats from both the military and from armed factions, making daily life unpredictable and fraught with danger. There are documented reports of entire families killed in their homes by the country’s military. With over 1000,000 people internally displaced, and many thousands killed, with entire villages completely razed to the ground by the Cameroon military, the TPS for Cameroonians in the US is a justified humanitarian safeguard for those who have successfully sought refuge in the country, like in many other host countries across the globe. Some no longer have homes to return to, while others have lost family close family members and parents, so much that returning them to Cameroon will not only expose them to further danger to pain and trauma. Therefore the terminating TPS for this group of Cameroonians will be strongly signalling a retreat from the U.S. commitment to protecting vulnerable populations.
The Threats Faced Upon Deportation
As stated above, should TPS be terminated and deportations ensue, Cameroonians, especially those from the form English speaking former Southern Cameroons returning to Cameroon would confront several severe threats:
- Exposure to Armed Conflict: The primary danger is the immediate return to an environment still embroiled in conflict. The country’s military and non-state armed groups operating in the North West and South West regions continue to perpetrate attacks against civilians. These areas have seen everything from crossfire between the military and armed groups, as well as fighting between rival factions to targeted attacks on political activists, community leaders and educators. For individuals with limited means of protection, the risk of being caught in the crossfire is distressingly high. Just this week, there were reports of a woman killed in the North West region during a shot out between the military and armed groups in a public area.
- Exposure to the Yaounde regime and Human Rights Abuses: Many political activist and sympathizers of the Southern Cameroons cause fleeing from the dungeons of the regime will be returning into the fangs of a vengeful enemy, who will not spare a day before arresting them. In fact, many who have attempted to voluntarily return to Cameroon have been arrested right at the airport and detained in the country’s famous maximum prison of Kondengui, where they are still waiting trial till this day. Other unfortunate ones are being held at the country’s torture centre; the State Defense Secretariat (Secrétariat d’État à la défense, SED) in Yaoundé.
International human rights organizations have documented abuses, including arbitrary detention, extrajudicial killings, and enforced disappearances in areas where the conflict is most acute. A return to Cameroon could therefore expose deportees to not only the direct dangers of armed violence but also to systemic abuses by various non-state actors and potentially even state security forces. Such conditions foster an environment where human rights violations may go unchecked, leaving little recourse for the victims. - Economic Hardships and Lack of Stability: Conflict inevitably translates into economic instability. The displacement caused by ongoing violence has disrupted local economies, reduced access to basic services like healthcare and education, and severed livelihoods. The once vibrant Bamenda city which is the economic hub of the North West is a shell of its former self, with economic activities reduced by almost 75% compared to its peak just before the conflict era. Cameroonians who have lived in relative stability in the United States under TPS might find themselves returning to a society where job opportunities are scarce, public services are under-resourced, and survival becomes a daily challenge. In addition, the psychological trauma of returning to a conflict zone cannot be underestimated, as it can hinder effective reintegration into society.
- Limited Access to Humanitarian Assistance: While international humanitarian organizations are active in Cameroon, with some major ones like Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is still banned from providing healthcare care services in the conflict zone regions, and for those present, the scale and reach of their operations are often not sufficient to meet the needs of all affected populations. Overburdened aid systems, compounded by logistical challenges in conflict regions, mean that even those in dire need might struggle to access reliable food, shelter, and medical care upon return. This is especially critical as the coping mechanisms that were developed in the United States such as stable income and supportive social networks disappear suddenly with deportation. The ripple effect will even be worse as those already in the US provided substantial support to struggling family members left back at home.
- International and Diplomatic Ramifications: The U.S. decision to end TPS for Cameroonians as they have done for a few other countries like Ukraine, Afghanistan, Venezuela carries broader geopolitical implications. It sends a message regarding U.S. foreign and immigration policy priorities, potentially undermining the global perception of the United States as a protector of vulnerable populations. International advocacy groups, emboldened by testimonies from the ground and backed by governmental assessments, have strongly argued that such policy shifts indicate a dispassionate approach to human rights and humanitarian crises. Moreover, as countries like Cameroon struggle with internal conflicts and inadequate state capacity to guarantee the safety of all its citizens, and also poses a direct threat to many other potential returnees, the termination of TPS might embolden the Cameroonian government to abuse, torture and detain returnees. As a matter of fact, if returnees find themselves unprotected in their homeland and in their host country, the international community may be forced to re-examine the adequacy of its diplomatic interventions and the role of bilateral agreements in ensuring safe repatriation.
A Call for Humane Policy and Legal Recourse
Since this decision was made public, legal experts, human rights advocates and even some US law makers are calling for a reconsideration of this policy decision, emphasizing that its ramifications extend far beyond bureaucratic adjustments to legal status. They argue that the U.S. must adhere to humanitarian principles and international law, which obligate nations to ensure that any deportation does not place individuals at imminent risk of harm. Just last week, on April 4th, a group of 21 members of congress issued an urgent letter to President Trump, calling on his administration to maintain the TPS for Cameroonians .Court challenges and legislative debates are likely to intensify, with advocates demanding that policymakers take into account the destabilizing nature of returning individuals to a country where conflict remains unresolved.
In conclusion, the termination of TPS for Cameroonians will not only be a policy change, but will be a decision that could mean life or death for thousands. As the former Southern Cameroons – North West and South West regions of Cameroon continue to be arenas of conflict and insecurity, deported individuals face the very real threat of renewed violence, severe economic hardship, and systemic human rights abuses. The international community, along with U.S. policymakers, must weigh these profound humanitarian concerns before irrevocably altering the legal protections afforded to vulnerable populations fleeing instability. This decision should also serve as an urgent call to what is left of the International community, to help bring the conflicting parties to the table and address the root causes of this devastating conflict. The timing couldn’t be more important, as the rest of the country is actively preparing for another presidential election, in which the incumbent 92 years old Paul Biya (who has been in power since 1982) is the life candidate and as expected with the routine staged charade in the name of elections, will win.
Author: Eric Acha (Executive Director of the Africa Policy Forum: A UK based Think Tank and regular opinion contributor to the Global Echos)
