500 Cameroonian nationals who were trapped in Libya in their attempt to reach Europe have been flown home, officials said.
Two children aged between six months and two years old, whose mothers died in the perilous journey were among the latest arrivals on Saturday.
According to Ms Pascaline Ndemaze, a senior official in the Social Affairs ministry, the two motherless children would be admitted to the Centre for Distressed Children in Yaoundé.
Some 162 others arrived on December 12 as part of a repatriation the government launched in June and has stepped up in collaboration with agencies including the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
The returnees spontaneously burst into celebratory songs as they alighted from a special flight at the Yaoundé-Nsimalen International Airport.
Some of the returnees recounted stories of hardship, torture and sexual harassment in Libya. They said some of their colleagues died from the brutal mistreatment.
They received psychological and medical care from the social affairs and public health officials as the government said it was finalising their re-integration.
IOM estimates the number of Cameroonians that were trapped in the crisis-hit Libya to be about 1,700.
The treatment of undocumented migrants in Libya, including widespread violence and apparent slave trading has been condemned by African heads of state and also given the country a negative reputation.
The African Union has said it aims to repatriate 20,000 Africans from the country. The continental body had earlier said it wanted to bring back 15,000 migrants by the end of the year, but increased its goal after a task force – including AU, the European Union and the United Nations officials — met earlier this month.
