Congolese woman with untreated thyroid condition self-deports from Cameroon shelter
Sep 21, 2026
Country of origin: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Third Country DeportationSelf-DeportationInjury/IllnessDetention ConditionsBlackMedical NeglectIn Detention

Gisèle, who fled fighting between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, was deported by US authorities to Cameroon under a third-country removal agreement. Suffering from a thyroid condition, she was never able to obtain her medication at the Yaoundé migrant shelter despite repeated requests, and after five months there she abandoned plans to seek asylum in Cameroon and agreed to be sent back to the DR Congo out of concern her health would worsen.
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