An Oslo district court has set 10 November 2026 as the opening date for the trial of Cho Lucas Yabah, known as Ayaba Cho Lucas, a leader of the Ambazonia Governing Council, the separatist movement to which the Ambazonia Defence Forces are attached. The court ordered on 7 September 2026 that his pre-trial detention be extended until the trial opens, ruling that the risk of flight remained significant and that alternative measures would not prevent it.
Norwegian authorities arrested Ayaba Cho in Oslo on 24 September 2024. He is suspected of involvement in crimes linked to the conflict in Cameroon's North-West and South-West regions, and the accusations against him include acts tied to war crimes. He remains presumed innocent until the court rules on the charges.
The trial was initially scheduled for 15 September 2026 and was moved to 10 November 2026. The court calendar puts the hearings' end on 19 February 2027. By the opening date, Ayaba Cho will have spent more than two years in pre-trial detention unless a further judicial decision changes that.
The case places a political leader of the Anglophone separatist movement before a European court, and the trial dates set the timetable for proceedings that have been pending since his arrest in 2024.