4, November 2021
Southern Cameroons Crisis: Presbyterian Church in the US urges Biden to aid Amba asylum seekers 0
Is the United States a nation that cares for humanity or politics? That was the question from a group of Black migrants from Cameroon during a virtual conference with the media last week.
Cameroon is a country in deep turmoil as the government faces confrontation with citizens who claim the country has fallen victim to corruption and violence. According to the United Nations, the separatist war has forced more than half a million people to flee their homes over the past four years, many coming to the United States for a new start.
But those hopes have been dashed for thousands of Black migrants as they face detention and the threat of deportation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The group is seeking Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in the U.S. in hopes of avoiding those threats.
Last week, the Cameroon Advocacy Network (CAN) joined with other groups including representatives from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for a webinar. The group heard from several Cameroonians who have fled the troubled nation in hopes of starting new lives in the U.S. Those who spoke would not identify themselves for fear it would result in their immediate arrest.
“I’ve been here almost two years and am still living in fear of deportation or even stepping out of the house because of ICE,” said one migrant who identifies himself as “Terry” to protect his identity. “We never believed that by crossing the border, we would be locked up for days and nights.”
Another man who called himself “Fabrisk” became emotional as he described efforts to come to the U.S. only to find himself and others treated as criminals and taken into custody.
“We come here and are transported with chains all over our bodies. We can’t eat, can’t feed ourselves or go to the bathroom,” he said. “We find ourselves in the arms of people who want to destroy us emotionally.”
The Cameroon Advocacy Network is a new coalition that has grown out of the ongoing organizing work of Black migrants and immigrants. Several of the coordinating members are part of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, an important partner for Presbyterians in southern California as well as with the Interfaith Immigration Coalition.
With the increase in Cameroonian asylum seekers arriving these past few years at the U.S.-Mexico border, CAN was created to organize efforts and inform advocacy campaigns. Many of the English-speaking Cameroonians have some connection to Presbyterian partners in Cameroon. They have attended either Presbyterian schools or Presbyterian churches.
PC(USA) representatives have met with CAN regularly to learn how to support their efforts and accompany Cameroonians in communities.
“In Cameroon, you don’t know what will happen from one minute to the next. You can leave home to fetch water or go to church and there is no promise that you will come back. The youth are most vulnerable,” said a woman identified as “Azoh.” “That’s why you see people embark on a journey to America. There is this thought that America is this giant where people feel most safe. That’s what’s causing this major influx of Cameroonians coming. People don’t mind taking the risk. To them, it’s a risk worth taking.”
Azoh said people come to America thinking they’ll be protected, adding that they can’t imagine that the same country where they seek protection would send them back to where they came from.
“I’ve been in the United States since 2003. I work hard, pay my taxes and contribute to this country,” she said. “My brother was released here two years ago from detention and lives every day in fear that he could be picked up, whether he goes to the doctor or something else. We are in a panic when he leaves because we don’t know if he will come back.”
Terry agreed, saying the stress is very high as they await a final outcome.
“The situation has not changed. I find myself still in chains because I am not free. I live in absolute fear of being arrested and it’s traumatizing,” he said. “When I go out just for a walk, I may see a police van. We try to adjust the way we walk so not to look suspicious. It makes me feel afraid because if you are arrested, deportation is the next thing.”
Daniel Tse is one of the founders of CAN and knows firsthand how difficult it is for migrants hoping to stay in the U.S.
“People can’t go to the mall or step out of their house for fear of deportation. They are locked up in their houses,” said Tse. “This is painful for those that have gone through this suffering. We stand with you and are not giving up this fight.”
Terry says those coming to the U.S. for a fresh start want to do their part as productive citizens.
“It’s frustrating. We are young, strong, ready to work and support this country in whatever way we can. We ask you to search in your hearts to help us,” he said. “If we go back to Cameroon, our fate is uncertain, our future is uncertain. Our wives and children’s futures are uncertain because their lives are in jeopardy. If they come for you, your whole family will suffer.”
Terry is calling on the Biden administration to find a solution that will allow them to stay without fear of deportation.
“Help us because we know that no matter how tough it might be, there is that humanitarian part of you that has love. You might turn things around for those who are crying and clamoring for your help,” Terry said. “We want to participate and support this great nation physically, emotionally, financially and morally.”
“The U.S. asylum system has been weakened by the past few administrations by policies that make it nearly impossible to ask for and claim asylum. Those who bear the harm of these policies are those who arrive in the United States by crossing the southern border. We witness systematic oppression against Black asylum seekers — they are held in detention longer; they are deported at higher rates; they must pay bail bonds at exorbitant rates; and their asylum cases are less likely to be approved,” said Amanda Craft, manager of Immigration Policy for the Office of the General Assembly. “As we urge policy changes, we must take into consideration how the immigration system continues to abuse communities of color, especially Black immigrants. A step in the right direction would be to grant TPS status for Cameroonians and halt deportation flights.”
Susan Krehbiel, associate for Refugees and Asylum with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, says she feels anger and shame for her own government when she hears firsthand accounts from those held in immigration jails.
“It is antithetical to who we are as a nation and as people of God. We also heard of the lasting impact of these traumatic experiences, the lingering fears and distrust that they carry with them for years,” she said. “The situation faced by the people of Cameroon seeking asylum in the U.S. should be compelling to all of us. The stories shared help us see the real lives and families who suffer because we no longer have a valid asylum system. That is why Temporary Protected Status is an important first step in at least meeting our international obligation to not return people back to harm.”
CAN representatives said at the close of the webinar that they will continue to push for TPS.
People are asked to sign a petition to help at cameroonadvocacynetwork.org/take-action. The PC(USA) continues to support efforts to urge the president to designate TPS status for Cameroonians.
Source: PC USA
17, November 2021
Cameroonians Plead for Tolerance Among Religions, Francophones, Anglophones 0
More than 200 people, most of them women, marched in the city center of Cameroon’s capital, Yaounde, on Tuesday against what they call growing intolerance in the Central African state. The protesters, marking this year’s International Day for Tolerance, sang that there is a growing lack of respect for each other’s cultural and religious beliefs.
Secretary General of the Council of Imams and Muslim Dignitaries of Cameroon Adamou Ngamie took part in the protest. Ngamie says all Muslims, especially Imams, must try to preach inter-religious tolerance because it is praised by God in the Holy Quran. He says intolerance is bringing confusion and discord in Cameroon, which is in dire need of tolerance that will breed cohesion and bring back peace to the country.
In 2020, the government of Cameroon reported on problems of inter-religious intolerance in the central African state. It cited conflicts between Christian Pentecostal churches and Muslim fundamentalist movements on Cameroon’s northern border with Nigeria. The report said several clashes resulted in casualties but gave no further details.
Tuesday’s protesters noted intolerance in Cameroon spiked in 2017 when Anglophone separatists, complaining of second-class treatment, took up arms against the French-speaking majority state.
Cameroon’s separatist conflict has claimed more than 3,000 lives and displaced more than 550,000, according to the United Nations.
22-year-old University of Yaounde student Anabel Michou marched in the protest. She says hate speech and propaganda on social media by both separatists and authorities promote intolerance.
“We are calling on everybody to join us on board, to build a hate free Cameroon, to promote social cohesion, to ask for peace. Wherever we find ourselves, we have a collective role to play to make Cameroon a better country. There are alternative, nonviolent means of saying what we have and using the right channels for our thoughts to be heard. And we should also remember, we cannot build by destroying. We have to build by making what we have better.”
The Cameroon Women’s Peace Movement, which has been urging troops and separatists to lay down their arms, organized the protest. Movement member Nicoline Nwenushi Wazeh says the separatist conflict would be greatly reduced if Cameroonians learned to tolerate each other.
“We need to acknowledge that every human being is a separate entity [person] and this acknowledgement needs to come from the government through enforceable laws against intolerance. Parents should have a communication around tolerance with their children. In schools, children should be able to know about tolerance. We should be able to promote tolerance.”
In July, Cameroon launched a campaign against what it called growing online hate speech, intolerance, and xenophobic statements.
Rights groups, however, note that along with xenophobic statements, authorities also define hate speech as criticism of the state and long-time President Paul Biya.
The government did not issue any statements for this year’s International Day for Tolerance but has in the past called on all Cameroonians to live together in harmony.
Source: VOA