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Belgian federal prosecutors arrested four suspects over alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes linked to the Ambazonia Defence Forces (ADF).
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Authorities accused the suspects of collecting funds and issuing instructions from Belgium to support armed attacks in Cameroon.
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Human Rights Watch estimated that at least 6,000 civilians have died since the conflict escalated in 2017.
Belgium’s federal prosecutor’s office announced on March 3, 2026 the arrest of four individuals suspected of crimes against humanity and war crimes linked to the armed conflict in Cameroon’s English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions. Authorities opened the investigation in summer 2025 after a referral from Norwegian judicial authorities, and they targeted alleged acts committed in Cameroon since 2020 in connection with the activities of the Ambazonia Defence Forces.
Prosecutors stated that investigators placed the case under the authority of an investigating judge in late December. The statement said authorities focused on “a number of persons residing in Belgium” who allegedly belonged to the leadership of the separatist armed group, which claims the creation of an “Ambazonia” state in western Cameroon. Prosecutors alleged that suspects collected funds in Belgium to finance the armed struggle and purchase weapons and ammunition, and that they issued instructions to carry out “attacks and liquidations” in Cameroon.
Authorities carried out the arrests during simultaneous searches in Londerzeel and Antwerp “last Sunday,” the federal prosecutor’s office said. An investigating judge placed three of the four suspects in pre-trial detention. Authorities conducted the investigation in cooperation with several countries, including Norway and the United States, where similar probes have targeted alleged members of the Ambazonia Defence Forces.
Yaoundé Denounces Foreign Support for Armed Groups
The judicial developments have revived debate over alleged foreign relays of the Anglophone crisis. The Cameroonian government has regularly accused certain Western countries of hosting or tolerating separatist figures who mobilize the diaspora, particularly through social media networks.
At the same time, European proceedings have formed part of a broader trend toward transnational prosecution. In Norway, authorities have detained Lucas Cho Ayaba since September 2024 and have brought evolving charges against him. Media reports indicated that prosecutors recently reclassified his case to include suspicions of war crimes.
The crisis began in 2016 with corporate demands from English-speaking teachers and lawyers, and it escalated into armed conflict in 2017. Human Rights Watch estimated that at least 6,000 civilians have died since the violence began. The organization attributed the deaths to both government forces and separatist armed groups.
This article was initially published in French by Patricia Ngo Ngouem
Adapted in English by Ange J.A de BERRY QUENUM