I left my country due to persecution and false allegations that I was part of the separatist movement. I came to the United States because I thought it was the safest place for people like me seeking refuge. I grew up admiring the United States for human rights advocacy so I thought it was the best place for me to come. It was unimaginably difficult to leave my beloved home and family under tension and insecurity, and come live in a completely different world. I miss everyone I had around me, the food, the culture. freedom, love, and hospitality. I miss my family, and the people I’ve lost.

On the 20 of May 2018, the police in a mixed patrol with the gendarmerie military stormed my house and arrested me for taking part in a peaceful protest in my community against the violations of human rights and massive unlawful arrests and killing of youths. At the police station, I was accused of being in support of the separatist activities and being one of them. I was mistreated and tortured in an unclean condition for three days. Three days later, after interrogations, they took copies of my ID card and got all necessary information about my family and a sum of money after I had pleaded to attend an examination class. Before I was released, they told me that they were watching me closely. From there I went to the hospital for a checkup and got some drugs for pain relief and infections.

In early September, I witnessed more serious gun battles than ever before as the separatist freedom fighters used charms to launch attacks on the military. The separatists began to visit homes asking for financial assistance and recruiting more youths who are unwilling or unable to pay. On the 6th of September 2018, the separatists came to my house and asked me for support to fight against the government. When I told them I didn’t have money to give them, they said I should join them but I still didn’t accept. They got me on my knees at gunpoint and got out with my late granddad’s dine gun alongside his traditional bag then made me sprinkle water on the gun in front of my house to break all curses after which they loaded it and shot it three times in the air and threatened me before leaving.

Two days later, the military came to my home at about 4:00am in the morning, got me well beaten. They arrested and locked me up, accusing me of giving a gun and preparing charms for the separatists. They made me go through hell for nine days. No one was allowed to see or talk to me. They used their guns, boots, swords, belts, and buckets of ice water and beat me at random daily. I was fed once a day, mostly garri, rice, and plantains. They didn’t even give me the chance to explain what happened. On the ninth day, they took me and five other detainees at about 03:00 am into their truck and transported us to Bamenda. On our way, we got attacked by the separatist fighters where I managed to escape into the bush where I wandered until morning and found my way to a friend’s house who then carried me to the hospital for checkup and treatment. From there, I called my mom and she started processing my travel documents which took quite a long time through her friend who works at the immigration. 

My journey to the United States was horrible. I left my country for the United States of America transiting through Morocco, Brazil, and Mexico, hiding from place to place. When I finally arrived at the US border, I was asked to register my name on a waitlist and wait for my turn to get into the U.S. I waited at the port of entry for over three months before I was accompanied into the U.S by Mexican immigration officers. When I handed myself to the U.S border patrol, they took me into custody for four days, from there I was transferred to Arizona where I spent a week, then to Tallahatchie, Mississippi for a month and a week, and finally to Pine Prairie ICE Processing Center where I spent over 16 months. In all, I was in US detention for over 18 months. It was horrible in ICE facilities as they mistreated and intimidated us, provided no safety measures against Covid-19, limited medical care, and unfair court judgements. We were treated like animals and at some point, we felt like animals were treated better than us. The most shocking and surprising part of it is that I expected the U.S to be the human rights giant of the world. I have been badly mistreated by the very country I trusted most. This was supposed to be the country that shows examples to other nations on human rights protections but it is doing the worse within its territory

On top of that is the constant fear of deportation. It is one of the worst instruments that was used to demoralize and depress us. This alone brought a lot of sicknesses like anxiety and depression, high blood pressure, and more, followed by the use of physical force to pressure detainees to sign for deportation. This is in fact the worst instrument used by the ICE.

We need the support of the American people because they have the power to stop this inhuman treatment that is taking place every single day in this country. I plead with them to stand for us in solidarity and justice for we are all human and deserve to be treated fairly. I also plead with the President to grant TPS for Cameroon, for it is an emergency situation known worldwide. The president has good knowledge of the Cameroonian crisis and so I plead with him to take this bold step to save thousands of lives.