The first group of 181 Cameroonians who have declared their intentions to leave Tunisia landed at Yaounde Nsimalen Airport at about 3am on Thursday, April 6.
They arrived on board Royal Air Maroc, three days after the government announced a voluntary repatriation of Cameroonians who are affected by the xenophobic violence against black migrants in Tunisia.
Upon arrival, they were taken to a temporary accommodation site where they were catered for by specialised government services before being released to join their families, State broadcaster CRTV reported.
Before their arrival, the Ministry of External Relations announced on Wednesday that government was taking measures to protect Cameroonians in Tunisia.
The Minister Delegate to the Ministry of External Relations in Charge of Relations with the Commonwealth, Felix Mbayu, said the government, through Cameron’s Embassy in Tunisia, has “undertaken urgent and necessary measures for the consular supervision and the care of all compatriots in distress”.
Cameroon is the latest of sub-Saharan African countries that have withdrawn their citizens from Tunisia, among them Guinea and Ivory Coast.
The repatriations were initiated following increased attacks and discrimination against sub-Saharan Africans living in Tunisian.
The xenophobia was fueled by a statement from the country’s President, Kais Saied, who blamed migrants from sub-Saharan African for rising violence in Tunisia.
President Saied also said increasing migration of black Africans into Tunisia was a plot to alter the demographic composition of the country.
The statement was highly criticised by African governments and the African Union as xenophobic and racist.
The Cameroon Government issued its first public reaction to the happenings in Tunisian on Monday, April 3, when it announced plans to repatriate nationals living in Tunisia.
By Tata Mbunwe
