Leading Cameroonian separatist leader arrested in Norway

A Cameroonian separatist leader has been arrested in Norway for his alleged role in the ongoing armed conflict in the Central African country.

Lucas Ayaba Cho was arrested on Tuesday on “alleged charges arising from his various statements on social media,” his lawyer told the BBC.

Cho is an influential figure in the Anglophone movement demanding independence from Cameroon, where more than 6,000 people have been killed and nearly a million more displaced since fighting began in 2016.

Some in the country's two English-speaking provinces say they face discrimination by the French-speaking majority.

The human rights organization Amnesty International accuses both government troops and armed separatists of murder, rape and torture of civilians.

A Cameroonian official told the BBC that there was a security agreement between Norway and Cameroon that could lead to Cho's extradition in the next few days.

Cho, who describes himself as a liberation fighter, is one of the best-known separatist leaders dominating the conflict in Cameroon's troubled Anglophone regions.

The 52-year-old heads the Ambazonia Governing Council (AGovC), a political wing of the Ambazonian Defence Forces (ADF), one of several armed groups seeking independence from Cameroon.

He commands his movement from his base in Norway, from where he is said to have recently ordered a two-week curfew as part of the separatists' school boycott campaign.

The Norwegian Criminal Investigation Service (KRIPOS) said Cho had “played a central role in an ongoing armed conflict in Cameroon”.

On Wednesday, Norwegian investigators applied to the Oslo District Court to take custody of him.

“We are at an early stage of the investigation and there are still several investigative steps pending,” said Norwich District Attorney Anette Berger.

If convicted in Cameroon, Cho could face a prison sentence of 30 years.

Emmanuel Nsahlai, a U.S.-based lawyer representing some victims of Cameroon's Anglophone crisis, hailed Cho's arrest as a “significant victory” against separatist violence in Cameroon.

“This arrest is a crucial step in holding him accountable for his actions and bringing justice to the victims of his violence,” said Mr Nsahlai.

Cho is not the first separatist leader to be arrested abroad in connection with the violence in Cameroon.

Since the conflict began, the Cameroonian government has been urging the separatist leaders' foreign host countries to facilitate their repatriation to their home countries so they can face justice for their role in the ongoing violence.

In 2018, Julius Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, the leader of the Anglophone separatist movement, and 46 others were arrested in Nigeria and later extradited to Cameroon.

More on the crisis in Cameroon:

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