Anti-Christian Repression: Cameroon's Transnational Campaign Against Ambazonians
Written by Nnamdi Iheukwumere
In the shadowed corridors of international diplomacy, few conflicts expose the hypocrisy of global human rights rhetoric as starkly as Cameroon's Anglophone Crisis, also known as the Ambazonia War. Since 2016, this simmering insurgency in the English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions—home to a predominantly Christian population—has claimed thousands of lives, displaced over 700,000 people, and drawn international scrutiny for its brutal tactics. Yet, beneath the surface lies a deeper narrative of state-sponsored violence: Cameroon's government, under President Paul Biya's iron-fisted rule, has systematically repressed Christian Ambazonians, extending its reach through transnational operations that implicate allies like Norway and even reach into the heart of the United States. While Cameroon is not formally designated a state sponsor of terrorism by bodies like the U.S. State Department, its actions—harboring and arming militias, targeting religious leaders, and collaborating on extraterritorial arrests—reveal a pattern of state-enabled terror that demands global condemnation.
The roots of this repression trace back to the Anglophone regions' grievances against decades of marginalization by the Francophone-dominated central government. Peaceful protests in 2016 against the imposition of French-language policies in education and courts escalated into armed conflict when security forces cracked down violently, killing protesters and arresting leaders. What began as a quest for cultural and linguistic autonomy morphed into a separatist movement for an independent Ambazonia, fueled by allegations of cultural genocide. In these regions, where Christianity is the dominant faith, the government's response has disproportionately targeted churches and clergy, disrupting services and detaining pastors suspected of sympathizing with separatists. Reports from the U.S. State Department's International Religious Freedom accounts detail soldiers storming churches flying Ambazonian flags, arresting worshippers, and accusing them of aiding "terrorists." This is not mere collateral damage; it is a deliberate strategy to erode the social fabric of Christian communities, forcing churches to close and believers to worship in secret amid fear of reprisal.
Cameroon's tactics extend far beyond its borders, embodying transnational repression that treats Ambazonian activists as existential threats. A glaring example unfolded in September 2024, when Norwegian authorities arrested Lucas Ayaba Cho, the self-proclaimed commander-in-chief of the Ambazonian Defence Forces (ADF), on charges of inciting crimes against humanity. Cho, a vocal advocate for Ambazonian independence living in exile, was detained at the request of Cameroonian officials, who accused him of orchestrating attacks from abroad. Human Rights Watch and the International Crisis Group have highlighted this arrest as a chilling message to the diaspora, underscoring how Cameroon leverages international partnerships to silence dissent. Norway, often hailed as a beacon of human rights, appears complicit in this extradition-like maneuver, prioritizing bilateral ties with Yaoundé over asylum protections for persecuted minorities. This is not isolated; similar detentions have occurred in Finland and Nigeria, where Cameroon's influence has led to the abduction of leaders like Julius Ayuk Tabe in 2018.
The tendrils of this repression snake even into the United States, where Minnesota—home to a vibrant Cameroonian diaspora—has become an unwitting battleground. In September 2025, federal authorities in Minnesota indicted two naturalized U.S. citizens, Benedict Nwana Kuah and Pascal Kikishy Wongbi, on eight counts including conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, kidnapping, and murder. The men, alleged leaders of the ADF, are accused of directing bombings, kidnappings, and killings in Cameroon from their base in the Twin Cities, using social media and funds raised in the U.S. to fuel the conflict. While the U.S. Justice Department frames this as combating terrorism, critics argue it echoes Norway's playbook: prosecuting Ambazonian Christians under pressure from Cameroon, effectively extending Yaoundé's repressive arm into American soil. The timing is suspicious—coming amid heightened Cameroonian lobbying—and raises questions about whether Minnesota's actions serve as an "extension" of Norway's facilitation of transnational crackdowns, blurring the lines between legitimate law enforcement and political persecution.
These incidents paint Cameroon not as a victim of terrorism, but as a perpetrator wielding state power to terrorize its own citizens. The government has been accused of arming irregular militias like the Moja Moja to conduct atrocities against Ambazonians, including village burnings and summary executions, tactics that mirror those of designated terrorist groups like Boko Haram, which Cameroon fights in the north. The U.S. State Department's human rights reports document arbitrary killings, torture, and forced disappearances by Cameroonian forces, with little accountability for perpetrators. By targeting Christian leaders and communities, Cameroon fosters an environment of fear that qualifies as state-sponsored terror, even if it evades formal labels.
The international community must wake up to this duplicity. Norway's arrest of Cho and the U.S. prosecutions in Minnesota should prompt investigations into Cameroon's role in orchestrating these operations, not blind enforcement of its extradition requests. Designating Cameroon for scrutiny under frameworks like the State Sponsors of Terrorism list—despite its current absence—could pressure Biya's regime to negotiate peace talks, as urged by Christian and Muslim leaders within Cameroon. Until then, the blood of persecuted Ambazonian Christians will stain the hands of those who enable Yaoundé's reign of terror. The fight for self-determination is not terrorism; suppressing it is.
