Gov’t claims that Cameroonians have settled into Antiguan life, but Watts says another smuggling trip was recently aborted

The Government claims that the Cameroonians, by and large, have been settling in; and there is no evidence of further attempts, on their part, to depart Antigua unlawfully for other Caribbean countries.

However, a report given by St. George MP Algernon “Serpent” Watts on Sunday, April 30, appears to contradict this claim.

In a Facebook broadcast, Watts says he received information that a set of West Africans had paid a boat captain to transport them out of this country.  It is alleged that thousands of US dollars were paid up front, while the balance was expected to be paid upon arrival at their destination.

Watts says he was informed that the trip did not come off, since the captain was tipped off that police officers were lying in wait for the Africans to board the vessel before pouncing on him. Therefore, the boat and its captain left the area before the Africans arrived.

Other sources tell REAL News that convoys of officers were dispatched to the beach from Police Headquarters, reportedly to prevent the same illegal boat trip from being undertaken.

In the meantime, the Administration says that those West Africans who were rescued at sea on March 28, and have found themselves in St. Kitts and Guadeloupe, remain there.  

According to a communique out of St. Kitts, the Browne Administration Government has no intention of repatriating them to Antigua, from where they left, as initially agreed.  

Unconfirmed reports say the authorities are of the view that these persons will simply make another unlawful attempt to leave this country and, therefore, bringing them back here would be pointless.

Incidentally, Minister of Health Sir Molwyn Joseph reportedly informed his Cabinet colleagues, yesterday, May 3, that one of the Cameroonian women who arrived here in December is to give birth in less than a week.