Nepalese Media Groups Form Alliance to Boost Economic Journalism
February 20, 2026
Peruvian Constitutional Court Overturns Conviction of Ex-Minister in Journalist’s Murder
February 20, 2026
February 20, 2026 – Cameroon –
A freelance journalist working on an assignment for the Associated Press (AP) and three other reporters were briefly detained by police in Yaoundé, Cameroon, on February 17, 2026, while documenting the arrival of Africans deported from the United States under controversial third-country deportation arrangements, according to multiple news reports. Authorities also detained a lawyer who was with the group and confiscated their equipment, drawing sharp criticism from press freedom advocates.
The journalists had travelled to a facility in Yaoundé where non-Cameroonian migrants were being held after being removed from the U.S. by way of Cameroon as part of a U.S. policy to deport migrants to countries other than their home states. Plainclothes police officers intercepted the reporters and their legal representative as they were leaving the compound, taking them to a judicial police station for questioning. Equipment seized by officers — including mobile phones, laptops, and cameras — had not been returned at the time of reporting.
Freelance journalist Randy Joe Sa’ah described the incident as a sudden escalation during otherwise routine reporting, saying that their presence at the site seemed to be the only apparent justification for law enforcement’s actions. Sa’ah and the others were released later that day without formal charges, though one of the journalists was reportedly slapped by police and sustained no serious injury.
The detention underscores mounting concerns about press freedom in Cameroon, where reporters have faced restrictions, intimidation, and arbitrary detention while covering politically sensitive topics. Human rights observers note that Cameroon has a history of press rights violations and remains a challenging environment for journalists covering public interest stories.
The broader context for the reporters’ assignment is a controversial U.S. immigration policy, under which third-country deportation agreements enable the United States to remove migrants to countries other than their nations of origin. Lawyers representing some of the deportees — who include individuals from Ghana, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Senegal, Kenya, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo — have criticised both Cameroon’s treatment of the migrants and the opacity of the deportation arrangements.
Advocates for journalists and press freedom have condemned the incident, arguing that detaining and seizing equipment from reporters covering matters of public concern not only hinders independent media but also threatens transparency and accountability in reporting on immigration and human rights issues.
Reference –
https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/02/20/abuses-in-cameroon-after-us-deports-third-country-nationals
Police Slap and Detain AP Journalists Covering US Deportee Arrival in Cameroon
