Claude N'Deh was a French teacher in his native Cameroon but fled to Britain six years ago.

He claims he was tortured and imprisoned for 18 months for protesting against the executions of nine schoolboys.

Claude met and married fellow Cameroonian Magolit in the UK and the couple, who live in Heeley, had three children - Cyril, aged three, and 15-month-old twins Gael and Kirsty.

Cyril and Kirsty both suffer sickle-cell anaemia and will require regular medical treatment for the rest of their lives to prevent the risk of infections, due to blocked blood vessels, and strokes.

Claude said: "If we had to go to Cameroon, I'm very worried about the impact on my children's health. They would take me back to prison and my family wouldn't be able to see me any more."

The 42-year-old has twice lost appeals against a decision to reject his asylum application and he and his family are worried immigration officials will remove them any day.

He failed to overturn the ruling despite a letter from Sheffield Children's Hospital haematologist Dr Jenny Welch explaining the impact deportation may have on Cyril and Kirsty.

According to the World Health Organisation, there is "no firm data" on life expectancy for people with sickle cell anaemia in sub-Saharan Africa - although rates of death from the disease are "much higher" than other parts of the world and up to half of people born with the condition die before the age of five.

Dr Welch said: "It's likely a move to the parents' home country would expose these children to new risks of infection. This, coupled with relatively limited access to healthcare, is likely to be detrimental to their health."

The Foreign Office also advises against travel by foreigners to the Douala area of Cameroon, due to the risk posed by "civil unrest" - but immigration officials insist the area is safe for Claude to return.

Steve Sinnott, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, and Kath Swinney, of South Yorkshire Migration and Asylum Action Group, have backed Claude's battle.

They said in a statement: "We are shocked a human rights activist is to be deported to a country with a terrible human rights record." But a spokeswoman for the Home Office's Border and Immigration Agency said: "It is important for the integrity of our asylum system that any individual found not to be in need of international protection should be expected to leave the UK.

"Voluntary returns are preferable to enforced returns but, if people do not leave voluntarily, we will enforce their return.

"This case was carefully considered by trained case workers but also through the independent judicial process, who ruled Mr N'Deh had no right to remain in the UK.

"Removals are carried out in the most sensitive way possible, treating those in question with courtesy and dignity.

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