Serious Slavery In Libya: 107 More Cameroonian Return home

Slavery in Libya: 107 more Cameroonians are back in the country

Return of Cameroonian migrants

A wave of 107 Cameroonians released from detention centers in Libya arrived early Saturday morning, December 16, 2017, at Yaoundé-Nsimalen airport. In the ranks, we learn, two unaccompanied babies, pregnant women, senior citizens and a handicapped person. The two six-month-old and two-year-old infants accidentally lost their mothers in Libya. 

The profile of migrants reveals men and women working in small trades that dreamed of a better life outside Cameroon. 

Illegal immigration remains a major problem in Cameroon. It is one of the most worrying crises alongside the fight against terrorism. Every year, young Cameroonians invest large sums of money in clandestine travel projects to the West, which sometimes go on in drama, in transit countries like, Libya, Mauritania, Niger, etc.

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The government is making efforts to repatriate young people who want it. On 21 November, 250 Cameroonian migrants were welcomed at the Yaounde International Airport, from Tripoli where their European dream failed. 

After many unsuccessful attempts to smuggle through African countries such as Algeria, Morocco or Libya, these 250 Cameroonians have agreed to return home, supported by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). On 29 November, 18 other migrants were welcomed at Douala International Airport. 

However, actions are being taken on the spot to discourage young people on this path. Thus, last December 7th in Yaoundé, the Yaoundé Citizens and Politics School organized a conference-debate on the theme: "Trafficking in human beings: state of play and stakes of an anachronistic social phenomenon", in the purpose of discouraging candidates for illegal immigration.