Within the framework of the operation to repatriate Cameroonians blocked abroad due to the coronavirus pandemic, 139 of them got to the Yaounde-Nsimalen International Airport on Saturday, May 9, 2020 on board a special Ethiopian Airlines plane from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, information from the Ministry of External Relations indicates.
The Ministry’s sources further disclose that Cameroon’s General Consulate in Dubai under the coordination of the Consul General, Donancier Mebouogue worked tirelessly for the return of the Cameroonians from the outset up to their departure at the DXB Airport in Dubai. The General Consul is said to have expressed satisfaction for the happy end of the operation that was sponsored entirely by the Cameroon government.
The beneficiaries, reports say, were visibly satisfied and expressed joy to have returned home. They promised to scrupulously respect the restrictive measures instructed by President Paul Biya in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Cameroon. At the airport, they went through the testing procedure in application of the measures that concern all persons getting into the country. It was disclosed that 152 Cameroonians were initially registered at the Consulate indicating their desire to return home but only 139 finally appeared at the airport and boarded the plane.
Upon their arrival, the test kits with results obtained within 15 minutes were being used on them. Those who tested negative were sent home but placed under observation for 15 days while those tested positive are being quarantined and taken care of by the State. 
As per the profile of those being repatriated, information from MINREX indicates every Cameroonian who got stock abroad who has expressed the desire to return home is qualified though priority is given to workers sent on mission, students who were abroad for short refresher courses, not forgetting business people. Officials at MINREX say the logic behind the initiative tells of the compassion of the Head of State and the solidarity behind the consular responsibility of the State. Unlike more affluent countries who shifted the burden of reparation to the citizens, the government of Cameroon shoulders all the bills and that has costed the State nearly FCFA 700 million for repartition, they further note. 
For the coordinated repatriation of Cameroonians, a joint task was set up in Yaounde involving the Ministries of Finance, External Relations and Transport, all of them under leadership of the Prime Minister. There further exists a task force at the Ministry of External Relations which has been dealing with all Cameroonian diplomatic representations to collect data. Over 1,200 Cameroonians have been repatriated back to the country through negotiations with countries that have exceptional landing rights with 626 Cameroonians earmarked to be repatriated within this current repatriation programme. Cameroon is amongst the few African countries ensuring and bearing the costs of the repatriation of its citizens.