OP-ED REPORT | Activist blasts “selective justice” after U.S. indictment and Norway case against Ambazonia

What the activist wrote
The blog post says two leaders are being targeted: Dr. Benedict Kuah in the United States and Dr. Ayaba Cho in Norway. It calls the U.S. indictment “fabricated,” describes Norway’s case as “spurious,” and frames both as part of a decades-long effort by Western powers to shield Cameroon and exploit resources. It recounts a 1998 escape story drawn from Ayaba’s memoir “Not Guilty” and insists the Ambazonia movement will not abandon its push for self-determination. (These are the author’s claims and opinions.) BaretaNews

What the U.S. indictment says
A federal grand jury in Minnesota charged two naturalized U.S. citizens—Benedict Nwana Kuah, 51, and Pascal Kikishy Wongbi, 52—with organizing, directing, and financing kidnappings, bombings, and killings in Cameroon on behalf of the Ambazonia Defence Forces (ADF). Counts include conspiracy to kill, kidnap, maim and injure persons abroad; conspiracy to provide material support; conspiracy to launder money; and (for Kuah) additional material-support, hostage-taking, and WMD-related conspiracies. Both men were arrested in Minnesota on 5 September 2025 and face up to life in prison if convicted. An indictment is an allegation; both are presumed innocent. Department of Justice+1Star Tribune

Key incidents the indictment highlights
• April 30, 2022: Kidnapping of a female government official in the North-West; ransom and propaganda videos alleged.
• February 25, 2023: IED detonation at the Mount Cameroon Race for Hope, injuring 19.
• October 4, 2023: Killing of two unarmed civilians in Guzang after accusations of collaboration.
• February 11, 2024: IED at a Youth Day celebration in Nkambe, killing a 15-year-old and injuring dozens, mostly children.
• Fundraising drives (“The Takeover Fund”; “Operation 200 AKs”) and transfers allegedly used to buy weapons and explosives. Department of Justice

What we know about the Norway case
Norwegian authorities arrested Ayaba Cho Lucas in September 2024 on suspicion of inciting crimes against humanity related to the Anglophone conflict. Courts have kept him in pre-trial detention through multiple extensions into 2025 while investigations continue. Human Rights Watch and International Crisis Group reported on the arrest and context; as of early September 2025, local outlets and observers still describe him as in pre-trial detention. Ayaba denies wrongdoing. Human Rights Watch+1Crisis Group+1Mimi Mefo InfoCameroonOnline.org

Wider context inside Cameroon
• Violence in the North-West and South-West has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands since 2017; both separatist fighters and state forces are implicated in serious abuses. Recent months again saw IED attacks and security sweeps. AP NewsHuman Rights Watch
• Rights groups say accountability has been scarce on all sides, and they urge impartial investigations that include crimes by state forces as well as armed groups. Human Rights Watch

How the activist’s claims compare to the public record

1. “Fabricated” U.S. charges: The public record shows a detailed grand-jury indictment listing specific incidents, dates, roles, money trails, and videos. Those allegations must be tested in court; calling them “fabricated” is the author’s opinion, not established fact. Department of Justice

2. “Coordinated persecution” by the U.S. and Norway: The timing overlaps, but the filings come from different jurisdictions using different laws—U.S. extraterritorial conspiracy statutes and Norway’s incitement-to-crimes-against-humanity provisions. No official document presented so far shows a joint plan between the two states. Department of JusticeHuman Rights Watch

3. “Cameroon escapes scrutiny”: Rights organizations have repeatedly documented abuses by Cameroonian forces and called for accountability; that scrutiny exists, though prosecutions inside Cameroon remain limited. Human Rights Watch

What happens next (legal)
• Minnesota: Detention hearings are set for 10–11 September 2025. Prosecutors flag videos, fundraising records and communications they say tie the accused to specific attacks; the defense will contest those points. Trials, if any, would follow later and could take months. Department of Justice
• Norway: Pre-trial detention reviews continue under Norwegian procedure. Prosecutors must show grounds such as risk of evidence tampering or flight while they build any substantive case. No trial date is publicly announced. Mimi Mefo InfoCameroonOnline.org

Politics around the cases
• In the U.S., the indictment lands as diaspora activism and online fundraising around Ambazonia draw more law-enforcement scrutiny. National outlets and AP also tied the charges to the conflict’s continuing violence. AP News
• In Europe, France’s and Britain’s recent moves toward recognising Palestine have revived arguments about Western “double standards” on self-determination, but those debates have not translated into support for Ambazonia recognition. (This is political context; there is no official Ambazonia recognition process at the UN.)

Editorial view (Cameroon Concord style)
Diaspora rhetoric travels fast; criminal cases move slowly. The activist’s anger at “selective justice” speaks to a real wound: for years, civilians in the North-West and South-West have suffered with little accountability for crimes by state forces. But two things can be true at once. First, Western capitals should match their human-rights talk with pressure on Yaoundé to open corridors, free political detainees, and accept independent investigations. Second, the movement that speaks for Ambazonia must police its own—because kidnappings, IEDs at school events, and executions in market squares are not a path to legitimacy. Recognition is not won with explosives or hashtags; it is earned with discipline, protection of civilians, and the hard work of building a credible political channel.

Editor’s note
• “Indicted” means accused, not convicted. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Department of Justice
• Reporting on Norway relies on official statements and rights-group summaries; courts there have released few granular filings. Human Rights WatchCrisis Group

Key sources
U.S. Department of Justice press releases and Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office (charges, names, counts, alleged incidents). Department of Justice+1
Associated Press dispatch on the Malende IED and note of Minnesota indictments. AP News
Human Rights Watch, International Crisis Group updates on Ayaba Cho arrest/detention and conflict toll. Human Rights Watch+1
BaretaNews activist post cited for the author’s claims and framing. BaretaNews