Cameroon 'has forcibly returned 100,000 Nigerian refugees'
Cameroon has forcibly returned
100,000 Nigerian refugees in breach of international agreements, Human
Rights Watch (HRW) has said.
The rights group accused soldiers of
deporting refugees escaping Islamist violence, as well as attacking and
sexually exploiting them.
Cameroon is "punishing" refugees for Boko Haram attacks, HRW said.
Cameroon has rejected similar accusations previously, saying Nigerians have returned willingly.
"Since early 2015, the Cameroonian authorities have summarily
deported at least 100,000 Nigerians living in remote border areas back
to war, displacement and destitution in Nigeria's Borno state," HRW said in a report.
"In carrying out these deportations, Cameroonian soldiers have frequently used extreme physical violence."
A 43-year-old man from Borno state told the rights group that his
brother had died of internal bleeding after Cameroonian soldiers beat
him with a stick.
"They humiliated us like animals and beat us like we were slaves," he said.
HRW's
associate director for refugee rights, Gerry Simpson, said the
Cameroonian army often accused the asylum seekers of being members of
Boko Haram themselves, "including women being Boko Haram wives".
Earlier this year, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) criticised Cameroon for forcibly returning hundreds of refugees to north-east Nigeria.
It said the returns had "continued unabated", despite the signing of an agreement ensuring that any returns would be voluntary.
The
Cameroonian authorities have previously claimed that Boko Haram
militants have been entering the country disguised as refugees.
The
UNHCR says forced return constitutes a serious violation of the 1951
Refugee Convention and the 1969 OAU Convention, both of which Cameroon
has ratified.
It has previously called on Cameroon to honour its
obligations under the conventions and continue keeping its borders open
to allow access to territory and asylum procedures for people fleeing
the Islamist insurgency.
BBC
No comments
Your comments and Encouragement are welcome