
Cameroonian separatist leader Lucas Ayaba Cho has been arrested in Norway for his alleged involvement in the ongoing armed conflict in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions. The arrest, which took place on Tuesday, is reportedly based on Cho’s social media activity, his lawyer confirmed.
Cho, a prominent figure in the Anglophone independence movement, has been a key player in the conflict that has claimed over 6,000 lives and displaced nearly a million people since it began in 2016. The crisis stems from grievances in Cameroon’s two English-speaking regions, where many residents feel marginalised by the French-speaking majority.
The human rights group Amnesty International has accused both the Cameroonian government and separatist forces of committing atrocities, including killings, rape, and torture of civilians.
A Cameroonian official told the BBC that Norway and Cameroon have a security agreement that could see Cho extradited to face trial in the coming days.
Who is Lucas Ayaba Cho?
Cho, 52, leads the Ambazonia Governing Council (AGovC), the political wing of the Ambazonian Defence Forces (ADF), one of several armed groups pushing for independence in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions. Based in Norway, Cho is known for his hard-line approach and his role in organising separatist campaigns, including a recent two-week lockdown aimed at boycotting schools.
Under Cho’s leadership, the Ambazonia Governing Council has imposed a “liberation tax” on residents in the conflict zones, compelling them to contribute financially to the separatist cause. His movement recently faced criticism after ADF fighters targeted taxi drivers in the North-West region, demanding they repaint their vehicles to the colours of the proposed independent state, Ambazonia. Vehicles of those who refused were set on fire.
Cho has previously survived an assassination attempt and has been a vocal critic of the Cameroonian government since his university days in the 1990s.
Norway’s National Criminal Investigation Service (KRIPOS) confirmed Cho’s arrest, stating that he holds ‘a central role in an ongoing armed conflict in Cameroon.’ Norwegian prosecutors are seeking his custody as they continue their investigation.
If extradited and convicted in Cameroon, Cho could face up to 30 years in prison for his involvement in the conflict.
International efforts to curb separatist violence
Emmanuel Nsahlai, a US-based lawyer representing victims of the Anglophone crisis, praised Cho’s arrest, calling it a ‘significant victory’ against separatist violence. Nsahlai emphasised that the arrest was a critical step toward holding Cho accountable for his actions.
This is not the first time Cameroonian separatist leaders have been detained abroad. In 2018, Julius Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, another leader of the Anglophone separatist movement, was arrested in Nigeria along with 46 others and extradited to Cameroon, where they faced trial for their involvement in the conflict.
The Cameroonian government has consistently urged foreign nations to repatriate separatist leaders as part of efforts to end the violence. The conflict in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions remains one of Africa’s most complex and devastating crises.
AFP
