By Njoh Linda
Cameroonians living in Sweden are appealing for urgent intervention after months of delays and unexplained rejections of passport applications submitted during a special consular mission organized by the Cameroon High Commission in the United Kingdom.
According to members of the Cameroonian community in Gothenburg, the mission was held at the request of Cameroonians residing in Sweden and neighboring Denmark.
The exercise, coordinated by the Cameroonian Association in Gothenburg, enabled applicants to process passports, birth certificates and other consular documents without travelling to the UK.
Community representatives say the enrollment process was completed successfully.
However, many applicants later received notifications that their passport applications had been rejected and were advised to contact the enrollment centre in the United Kingdom.
They say officials at the enrollment centre informed them they had no explanation for the rejections, adding that they had contacted Cameroon’s General Delegation for National Security (DGSN) to seek clarification.
More than a month later, applicants say no official response or solution has been communicated.
While a small number of applicants reportedly received notifications that their passports had been printed, many others say they have neither received rejection notices nor confirmation that their passports are ready for collection.
Affected applicants say they have repeatedly contacted the Cameroon High Commission over the past three months but claim officials have been unable to explain why some passports have not been printed or why others appear to have been withheld.
Community members also say they have been told through various unofficial sources that the consular officers who travelled to Sweden allegedly did not have authorization from the DGSN, despite receiving documentation indicating that the Ambassador had authorized the mission.
The delays have reportedly placed several applicants in difficult situations, particularly those whose previous passports have expired while awaiting new ones. Some say they are unable to meet requirements from migration authorities or travel to obtain replacement travel documents.
The affected Cameroonians are calling on the relevant authorities to clarify the status of their applications and resolve the matter as quickly as possible.
