According to information revealed by the New York Times and relayed by Brut Afrique, the US administration allegedly used $30 million in financial aid as leverage to pressure Cameroon into accepting its deported citizens. This strategy underscores the growing use of development aid as a tool for diplomatic pressure.

A financial lever to force cooperation

The migration issue between Washington and Yaoundé has entered a new phase marked by economic coercion. At the heart of the tensions is a $30 million fund, initially intended to support development and security in Cameroon. According to an investigation by The New York Times , this funding was allegedly frozen by US authorities with the explicit aim of obtaining more proactive cooperation from the Cameroonian government regarding the deportation of its citizens residing in the United States.

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The technical challenge of the passes

The mechanics of this pressure rest on an unavoidable administrative necessity: for the United States to return a migrant to their country of origin, that country must issue official travel documents and authorize the landing of repatriation flights. Faced with administrative delays or political reluctance in Yaoundé to reintegrate these individuals, Washington is now using financial leverage to expedite the issuance of these travel documents and facilitate forced returns.

A dilemma between security and sovereignty

This situation places the Cameroonian government in a delicate position, particularly given the profile of the migrants involved. Many of them claim to have fled violence related to the conflict in the country's Anglophone regions. By conditioning its aid on the resumption of deportations, Washington is forcing Yaoundé to choose between receiving essential international funds and managing the complex, and sometimes criticized by human rights organizations, return of vulnerable populations to potentially unstable areas.

Towards a generalization of aid conditionality

While not entirely unprecedented, this practice confirms a fundamental trend in American diplomacy where international assistance is becoming a variable for adjusting domestic policy. Although official communications remain cautious, the reality on the ground shows that development aid is increasingly tied to the ability of partner states to meet the migration needs of their allies, transforming bilateral cooperation into a purely contractual negotiation.