Millions of Americans on November 5, will be voting in the US elections to choose a new president between the Republican former President Donald Trump and the Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris. The winner will replace Joe Biden.
The elections are not leaving Cameroonians indifferent, especially those who dream of traveling to the US one day.
On the morning of Wednesday, November 5, this reporter boarded a taxi from Molyko in Buea to another location in town.
The taxi driver tuned to a local radio station where a talk show about the US elections was ongoing.
When the presenter asked a caller about who was going to win the US election, the caller replied: “Kamala Harris is going to win. I hate Donald Trump because he hates Africans.”
In the taxi a passenger exclaimed, surprised that the US elections were already going on.
“Donald Trump should not win because he will block us from entering America through Mexico,” the female passenger said.
In response, the taxi driver said America is not ready for a female president.
“Even if Trump wins, he will not block that road completely,” the driver added.
Immigration as a Central Issue
Many Cameroonians are concerned about who takes power in the US because they plan on settling in America.
Many people feel the urge to travel to the US due to pull and push factors. They are drawn by America’s high living standards, good job opportunities, and guaranteed freedoms. Others seek to escape conflict, unemployment, and human rights abuses in their home countries.
The US presidential candidates have been very keen on immigration.
Former President Donald J. Trump has promised to deport illegal migrants and tighten border control.
Trump said immigrants are taking away Americans’ jobs, eating their cats and dogs.
US media reports that some of the allegations lack foundation.
Many Cameroonians who entered the US illegally faced deportation during the Trump era.
Human Rights Watch reported that some who ran from political oppression ended up in jails.
Trump prioritises his America-first policy and, as a result, pays little attention to events in other countries.
During his tenure, he suspended Cameroon from the African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA), a lucrative economic deal for African countries.
Human rights violations in the country’s English-speaking Regions led to the suspension, where an armed conflict has killed over 6,000 people since 2016.
What a Trump Win Means
If Donald Trump wins and blocks the borders from immigrants, these people, including Cameroonians, will be forced to stay in their own countries.
Those who are trying to seek political asylum will have no choice but to remain home.
Again, civil societies in Cameroon which are receiving funding to champion human rights and environmental protection will also be affected.
Trump had pulled out of the Paris Climate Accord and suspended US funding to the World Health Organization (WHO).
These executive orders were revoked by his predecessor, Joe Biden.
It is likely that Trump will continue some of his former policies if he wins, and this will have a huge impact on Cameroonians.
What About a Kamala Harris Win?
The Democrats in the White House have always maintained a cordial relationship with the regime in Yaounde, which has ruled Cameroon for 42 years.
During the Obama and Biden administrations, President Paul Biya traveled to the US twice for the US Africa-Summit.
Both leaders also maintained an open-border policy towards nations caught in conflict, including Cameroon. Through the flagship American DV lottery program, thousands of Cameroonians travelled to the US legally during the Obama and Biden administrations.
But when Trump came to power, he made DC lottery complicated for a majority of Cameroonians by limiting it only to those who already have passports.
For Cameroonians who want to travel to the US, a Kamala Harris victory is very necessary to for them to fulfil their dreams.
Democrats in the White House have also been more favourable to Cameroon militarily, as both the Biden and Obama regimes tried to boost military and economic ties with Cameroon.
Cameroon never came under much duress in the Biden administration compared to the Trump administration.
Instead, the Biden Administration has intensified the funding of USAID and also funded the fight against HIV/AIDS and other diseases in the country.
When the Trump administration suspended Cameroon from the AGOA trade deal, it advanced reasons that the country used its military support against Boko Haram on civilians in the North West and South West regions.
After Trump left, the Biden administration took no economic measures against Cameroon, despite more accusations of the Cameroonian military’s involvement in rights abuses against English-speaking civilians.
