By Robert A. Emmanuel
A decision by the government to rescind its original offer to allow Cameroonian survivors of the March 28 boat tragedy in St Kitts to return to Antigua was predicated on the escape of nine individuals from the community centre where they were being held.
Last week, the St Kitts and Nevis government revealed that nine persons—who included several Cameroonian migrants—had escaped the confines of the St Peter’s Community Centre just outside Basseterre.
They also said in the same statement that the Antiguan government had cancelled its agreement to take back the survivors, which was later confirmed by Prime Minister Gaston Browne.
Cabinet spokesperson and Information Minister Melford Nicholas confirmed yesterday that the escape had been the final straw.
“We have taken a position clearly based on [the] intent of those persons who are held in custody…of using Antigua as a transmigratory location; we have updated our position in respect of the courtesy that we wanted to extend,” he told the post-Cabinet press briefing.
“…Even if they got back here, [they] would still have the intent of repeating because the idea that they would have escaped custody from St Kitts would have been an indication that they had no intent of remaining within these particular jurisdictions,” Minister Nicholas explained.
Fourteen migrants and two Antiguans were rescued in the disaster. Of the nine who fled the detention centre, all but one have since been found.
Additionally, any decision as to the burial of the three bodies recovered in the incident will now be up to the Kittian government as the Cabinet spokesperson revealed that was also part of the retracted offer.
“With respect of the persons who have been deceased and how are they going to be disposed, they were discovered within the geographical borders of St Kitts and Nevis and the responsibility is theirs,” Minister Nicholas said.
However, he added that this would not end collaboration or communication between the two governments on the matter.
The decision to withdraw the offer, according to the Minister of Information, was made last Wednesday during the Cabinet meeting.
However, no mention of that decision was made public via Cabinet notes and when the Chief of Staff in the Prime Minister’s Office was asked by Observer media last week for an update as to when the Africans were to return to Antigua, he replied that “is a decision of the St Kitts and Nevis government; it is not ours to make”.
Meanwhile, speaking on local media outlet Twin Island Media yesterday, St Kitts and Nevis Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Denzil Douglas, described the Antiguan government’s decision as “unfortunate”.
“I am not certain what is going to be the final outcome, in that we are awaiting either contact from other countries who may be willing to take them or from their own contacts from abroad in Africa so they would eventually be able to return home,” Dr Douglas explained.
Following the March 28 tragedy, Prime Minister Gaston Browne issued a statement, saying “my government will also continue to offer refuge in Antigua and Barbuda to the survivors… and we will make appropriate arrangements for the burial of the deceased. We will also make every effort to contact their relatives to advise them of this heart-breaking tragedy”.
The migrants aboard the ill-fated boat were among hundreds who arrived in Antigua on charter flights from Nigeria late last year. Most were Cameroonians fleeing conflict back home.
