One Antiguan still at large in St Kitts; Antigua gov’t refuses to accept Cameroonians

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DNO: All but one of the detainees who escaped in St Kitts and Nevis have been captured by police there. Last week, nine people escaped from a holding center; eight Cameroonians and one Antiguan.

The Antiguan and Barbudan national whom authorities have named Nicholas Santana Areche has not yet been found.

Areche is believed to have been the captain of the boat that capsized off the coast of St Kitts and Nevis on March 28, while trying to smuggle 30 Cameroonians into St Thomas.

Fourteen people perished on that illegal journey and the survivors were under the care of the St Kitts and Nevis government.

Plans were being made to have them repatriated to Antigua and Barbuda but the Gaston Browne government has since rescinded, saying clearly that they don’t want the Africans to return to the twin island state.

“Based on what happened there, which we never anticipated, was one of the unintended consequences. We recognize now that we cannot run the risk of having them opportunistically jump onto a plane and come to Antigua and Barbuda. That, unfortunately, is where good intentions were exploited by these individuals,” Browne said.

“How do you feel about us taking them back? We want to treat them humanely. Our challenge is that they have claimed that sending them back to Cameroon would likely result in their death, but I am thinking, for those who have already left our shores, the question is, why…bring them back when they are likely to smuggle out of the country again?”

The Antiguan and Barbudan government is tightening entry requirements for West Africans with Prime Minister Gaston Browne saying that only those with visas to the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, or the European Union can enter Antigua and Barbuda.

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6 COMMENTS

  2. The bones of #Mami_Wata and Papa_Elegba are rattling! What will they be revealing, about this ongoing #SCAM and #STING.

    Jumbee_Picknee aka Ras Smood
    Son of #Mami_Wata & #Papa_Elegba!
    De ‘ole Dutty Peg🦶🏿Foot Bastard

    V.C. Edwards
    …
    …

  3. They are not Gaston Clown and the labourites black brothers and black sisters.
    It is the same way he deny his rapist brother

  4. The Nigerians (Sorry, I mean Cameroonians)should have been deported when they arrived here. Only now he know about visa?

  5. This idiot! I wish those Cameroonians much success in St. Kitts on a level that will have this idiot in much regret. Antigua is not gold. It is not heaven. Just admit that you messed up. Treat people the way you’d like to be treated. Stop treating these people like animals. You are disgusting!

  6. The other eight escapees may have been decoys to allow Areche to get away. He is one of two that could possibly face criminal charges. They helped him because he was helping them.

    By now, Areche is probably back in the DR or, he might be bold enough to have gone back to Antigua.

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