AP journalist detained in Cameroon while reporting on U.S. deportees

YAOUNDE, Feb 19 (Reuters) – An Associated Press journalist was beaten by police and briefly detained alongside three other reporters and a lawyer in Yaounde while attempting to interview Africans recently deported from the United States, two sources told Reuters.

The journalists had their equipment confiscated, which has yet to be returned, and were taken to the judicial police by plainclothes officers on Tuesday after attempting to film the facility hosting the deportees, sources said.

“It was an extremely stressful experience,” said freelance journalist Randy Joe Sa’ah, who was briefly detained.

“I was surprised by how quickly the situation escalated. It felt as though our only ‘offence’ was simply being present at the facility where people were being held,” he said.

AP declined to comment.

Cameroon’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and police did not respond to requests for comment.

The first group of deportees arrived in Cameroon in January, including two individuals from Ghana, two from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), two from Morocco, two from Angola, and one from Zimbabwe. The Moroccans have since returned home but the remaining seven migrants remain in Cameroon.

A second group arrived early on Monday and included three Ethiopians, one Senegalese, one Kenyan, one Sierra Leonean, and two from the DRC.

The Trump administration has approached a number of African governments about accepting deportees as part of its campaign to deter immigration through high-profile deportations to so-called “third countries.” In some cases migrants have voiced concerns for their safety. Cameroon has not disclosed whether it participated in the U.S. administration’s program. The State Department could not be immediately reached for comment.

The recent flights brought the total number of deportees in Cameroon to 17, according to four deportees and two lawyers.

All the deportees had been granted withholding of removal status in the U.S., which protects individuals from deportation to countries where they fear persecution or harm.

(Reporting by Amindeh Blaise Atabong and Robbie Corey-BouletWriting by Ayen Deng BiorEditing by Tomasz Janowski)