Over 60 Cameroonians between the ages of 25 and 40 are being held in custody in the Chadian town of Kiessoum, some 20km south of the capital Ndjamena, following their arrest last week by Chadian police for non-possession of residence and working permits.

They were arrested during patrols and road checks carried out by gendarmes and police in Ndjamena and then taken to Kiessoum.

The Cameroon Journal learnt that the patrols was meant to fish out foreigners who do not have legal documentation to stay in the country and persons suspected of having links with the Nigerian terrorist sect Boko Haram.

The joint patrol as we gathered led to the arrest of Cameroonians, Central Africans and nationals of some other countries. Those found to be in regular situations were later let go.

Diplomatic missions of countries in Chad whose citizens were arrested are said to have reacted promptly to get them liberated except for Cameroon whose officials are yet to react.

Though there exist free movement of persons and goods within CEMAC countries since January 2014, citizens of one country who travel and intend to settle in another must be in possession of a residence or working permit.

According to the father of one of the victims whose only name we got as Aristide detained in Kiessoum, his son travelled to Chad on the proposal of a friend because he could not pick up a job in Cameroon after obtaining a diploma in computer sciences. He lamented how Kiessoum is not a stone throw from Yaoundé and yet they have been told that they will not be allowed to see their son nor give him food even if anyone was to travel there.

It is not the first time Cameroonians are suffering such fate. Over 200 of them were repatriated from Equatorial Guinea in 2014. The growing youth unemployment in the country is forcing many youths to look for greener pastures beyond Cameroon’s borders, yet many of them have always been found wanting because they do not fulfil the conditions needed in the countries where they go to look for jobs.