An administrative court has dismissed the appeal of a Cameroonian asylum seeker after finding that his account had failed to establish grounds for international protection in Cyprus.

The 35-year-old entered the government-controlled areas through the north in March 2020 before applying for asylum.

His application was rejected by the asylum service in February 2024, prompting him to challenge the decision.

In his appeal, he claimed he had worked as a construction contractor in Cameroon before being abducted by Ambazonian separatists in 2019 and forced to pay a ransom to secure his release.

He said he was later arrested by the Cameroonian army for questioning and detained for four days before being released.

According to his account, the separatists later accused him of collaborating with the military, while the army suspected him of cooperating with the rebels.

He alleged that his home was burned down, forcing him to flee before arranging travel to Cyprus with the help of one of his clients.

The court rejected those claims, concluding that his account was inconsistent and lacked the detail expected from someone describing events they had personally experienced.

In its judgment, the court said the applicant’s narrative was “full of gaps, ambiguities and shortcomings” and that he was unable to provide “the slightest detail or experiential element” concerning his alleged kidnapping, detention, or subsequent pursuit by either side.

It added that his allegations “fell far short of a complete, coherent, plausible presentation” and said accepting them would amount to “a naive and unreserved acceptance of allegations that lack every shred of plausibility or detail.”

The case centred on events the applicant claimed involved Ambazonian separatists, an armed militia seeking independence for Cameroon’s English speaking west.

The movement emerged after protests over the political and cultural marginalisation of anglophone Cameroonians escalated into an armed conflict in 2017.

Although separatist groups have declared a breakaway state, it has not been recognised internationally and fighting between government forces and separatist militias continues in parts of the country.

Despite acknowledging the security situation, the court said that while Cameroon’s southwest region has experienced “a relatively high number of security incidents and civilian casualties”, the applicant’s home city of Buea was not affected to a degree that would create a “serious and personal threat to life or physical integrity” under the legal threshold required for refugee status or subsidiary protection.