"Are we not human enough?" - UFC champion Francis Ngannou shares disturbing visuals of "inhumane treatment" to people from his homeland, calls for leaders to take action

Francis Ngannou has shared some disturbing visuals detailing the inhumane treatment of the people from his homeland, Cameroon, as well as from the African continent as a whole.

As suggested by Ngannou’s recent tweets and a Instagram posts via his official social media handles, several migrant refugees from Africa were tragically injured and/or killed while trying to migrate to Europe.

Francis Ngannou, who was born and raised in Cameroon, himself migrated to Europe at the age of 26. However, he was arrested and handed a two-month jail term for illegally crossing into Spain.

After serving the term, Ngannou entered France. He subsequently met MMA Factory head coach Fernand Lopez in Paris, who helped him start his MMA career. Ngannou soon scaled great heights of success and reached the pinnacle of the sport, winning the coveted UFC heavyweight title.

In his latest tweets and Instagram posts, Francis Ngannou harked back to the time he illegally crossed Spain's border in an attempt to make it to France and pursue a career as a professional boxer.

Ngannou, who has given an in-depth account of this to UFC commentator Joe Rogan on the JRE (Joe Rogan Experience) podcast, detailed his horrifying immigration experience in his Instagram post. An excerpt from his post has been noted below:

“People of the world, fans, friends, please understand why this is so hard for me to witness. I shared a piece of my story with @joerogan, and with what just happened recently to my people, I can’t stop thinking that just 9 years ago I could’ve been one of these people who tragically lost everything in an attempt to seek a better life for themselves and their families. I am familiar with this exact location.”

"You have to understand, had I not attempted this very thing myself, you wouldn’t know me. I wouldn’t have been able to become a World Champion. I just happened to be a lucky one. That’s all it was.⁣ To this day, those that are alive there are subject to some of the most barbaric, inhumane treatment you could ever imagine."

The videos in Francis Ngannou’s tweets and Instagram post show several migrants/refugees trying to enter Spain. However, they’ve been detained by law enforcement and stopped from heading into the European country. While some migrants/refugees were seemingly injured and laying low on the ground, many others unfortunately lost their lives.

Some of the videos contain visuals that may be disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised. You can watch the videos on Francis Ngannou’s Instagram page by clicking HERE. You can also read Ngannou’s detailed message to the world in his Instagram post.

Furthermore, Ngannou has also posted a Twitter thread regarding the African migrant/refugee crisis, accompanied by the same videos. You can view the Twitter thread by clicking HERE.

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Francis Ngannou calls for world leaders to take action against the inhumane treatment of migrants/refugees

Refugee crises have been a staple of geopolitics since time immemorial. Africa has long been a victim of the same, as many migrants and refugees from conflict-ridden countries on the continent have been migrating to Europe for decades, if not centuries.

Yet another refugee crisis began earlier this year (and is still underway) after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. UFC heavyweight champion Francis touched upon these points in his Instagram post. Ngannou indicated that while he loves the support everyone is showing for Ukrainian migrants and refugees, he’d like people to similarly support Africans as well.

Additionally, Francis Ngannou suggested that migrants and refugees from his native Cameroon and the rest of Africa have long been subjected to discrimination. Ngannou indicated that they are discriminated against, not only by the countries that they migrate to, but also by Western media, which rarely highlights the atrocities African migrants suffer.

Moreover, Francis Ngannou insinuated that this is because certain sections of the socio-political realm engage in discriminatory acts against people on the basis of their skin color. Without naming anyone, the MMA superstar proceeded to call out world leaders in general, including those from Africa, who aren’t doing enough to help African migrants and refugees.

Francis Ngannou also reiterated that he supports the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement, adding that it’s not just a trend “but an everyday pain that we’ve been feeling deep in our soul.” Another excerpt from Ngannou’s Instagram post urged people to treat African migrants and refugees just like they’d treat anyone else. The excerpt reads as follows:

“What will it take to stop treating us like this? What have we done that’s so bad to deserve this treatment? Are we not human enough for you? Should we not be existing in the same planet?”

“Since when does leaving your family to go find a job to provide for them a crime? Since when is hoping to survive a crime? When will these barbaric acts against our people be punished? When will it stop? I need answers.”

Francis Ngannou competed in the final fight of his UFC contract in January of this year, beating Ciryl Gane via unanimous decision to unify the heavyweight titles. While Ngannou is still the UFC heavyweight champion, the duration of his UFC contract will end this December.

‘The Predator’ has consistently maintained that he’d like to re-sign with the UFC, provided that he’s given a pay raise and allowed to compete in the sport of boxing as well.

The consensus is that Ngannou will return from his knee injury hiatus early next year. As of late, the 35-year-old has been lobbying for a hybrid-rules fight with boxing great Tyson Fury. While Fury is also open to the potential matchup, the fight is yet to be made official.