Norwegian prosecutors have charged Ayaba Cho Lucas, a leader of the Ambazonian separatist movement, with complicity in war crimes and acts of terrorism, the prosecutor's office said on 4 November 2026. The trial is set to open on 24 November 2026 at Oslo District Court and is expected to run until 19 March 2027.
State prosecutor Carl Fredrik Fari confirmed the charges, which relate to his alleged direction of armed groups in Cameroon's North-West and South-West regions while he lived in Norway. Prosecutors dropped a count of crimes against humanity, saying they lacked sufficient evidence. The case relies heavily on WhatsApp messages and other digital material seized from his devices.
Ayaba Cho Lucas, 53, was arrested in Oslo on 24 September 2024 and has been held in pre-trial detention since. If convicted, he faces up to 30 years in prison, the Norwegian news agency NTB reported.
His lawyer, Morten Engesbak, said his client rejects the accusations and describes his activities as part of the struggle for self-determination in the Anglophone regions.
The trial will be followed closely in Cameroon and in the Anglophone diaspora, and it places part of the conflict before a European court for the first time.
Sources
- 237 Online Ayaba Cho Lucas inculpé en Norvège, procès fixé au 24 novembre
- Cameroun Actuel Cameroun : Ayaba Cho Lucas poursuivi en Norvège pour complicité présumée de crimes de guerre
- Le Bled Parle Crise anglophone : convoqué à la barre en Norvège, Ayaba Cho Lucas risque 30 ans de prison pour crimes de guerre et terrorisme