Case Against Ayaba Cho: Damning Reports On Separatist Groups By Amnesty International And Human Rights Watch, For Atrocities Committed Against Civilians

  The reports have been presented to the Oslo District Court in Norway, by the Prosecution in the case against the incarcerated ADF leader

The headline of the lead story of the French language daily newspaper, Emergence, on Monday, November 18, 2024, read: ‘Nord – Ouest: Une Dizaine  D’Etudiants Et Leurs Encadreurs Kidnappes’. This was the story of 11 students and teachers of St Lawrence University Institute at Baba 1 , Ngohketunjia Division, Northwest Region, who were kidnapped by gunmen who reportedly identified themselves as  separatists fighters also known as Amba boys. Worthy of note that St Lawrence University Institute Baba 1 (near Ndop), is run by the Labang Education Foundation, USA.

In a press release signed on November 9, 2024 by the President of the Labang Education Foundation, Dr Oscar C. Labang, for the attention of the national and international community, it was stated that: “On Saturday, 2^nd November 2024, the Board of St Lawrence University Institute, was notified about the kidnapping of 11 students and staff of the institution at Baba 1 Village in Ngohketunjia Division of the Northwest Region at about 10 am on 31^st October 2024.  The students were kidnapped by armed gunmen who identified themselves as Ambazonian fighters of Baba 1. The students were on their way to Babessi, the sub – divisional headquarters, for school related activities”. The students and their teachers were said to have been travelling to Babessi on commercial motorcycles commonly known as Okada.  The gunmen, according to the press release, “took the students and teachers hostage, and disappeared into the surrounding bushes”.

Principal Kidnapped

Within that that same period, a video appeared on the social media, in which a man alleged to be the Principal of a Government College in Bamenda that was kidnapped by a separatist group, was being tortured, being beaten with machetes. He was at the same time asked to send a message to the family to urgently send the money that was being demanded as ransoms for his liberation.

These are incidents that have regularly been happening in the Anglophone Regions, since the crisis escalated. Students and teachers as well as other civilians are being kidnapped for ransoms by separatists. The international community finds it totally inadmissible or unacceptable, any attempt to forcefully stop or obstruct children and teachers from going to school. There is no country or government in the world in this 21^st century that will support or even condone any group that for whatever reason, attacks children and teachers to strop them from going to school.

Oslo District Court In Norway

Following the arrest and pre-trial detention in Oslo, Norway, of Ayaba Cho Lucas, the leader of the armed separatist group known as Ambazonia Defence Forces, ADF, on charge of Incitement to Crimes Against Humanity, his supporters have been claiming that the prosecution at the Oslo District Court does not have any concrete evidence to pin him on the charge.  The supporters claim the Cameroon Government and France misled Norway to arrest Ayaba Cho on a fake charge or claim that cannot be backed with evidences.

But from the look of things,, that is definitely not the case., when one peruses the Official Court Hearing Report from the Oslo District Court, concerning the case against Cho Lucas Yabah (known in Cameroon as Ayaba Cho Lucas) on the charge of Incitement to Crimes Against Humanity,  that  came up in the court on October 22, 2024.  The Prosecution in the case against Ayaba has presented documented evidences that separatist could not have imagined.

Worth noting that the United States based NSAHLAI LAW FIRM of Senior Barrister, EMMANUEL NSAHLAI,   meticulously translate into English and French, the Official Court Hearing Report of October 22, 2024 from the Oslo District Court, concerning the case of Cho Lucas Yabah (Ayaba Cho Lucas), charged with Incitement to Crime Against Humanity.   .

Included in the document, that is the Official Court Hearing Report of October 22, 2024 from the Oslo District Court concerning Cho Lucas Yabah (Ayaba Cho Lucas) translated by the Nsahlai Law Firm of Senior Barrister Emmanuel Nsahlai, are excerpts of reports on the Anglophone Crisis by two reputed and respected human rights organizations, TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL and HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH. The reports are on atrocities committed against civilian population, including students and teachers, by separatists groups in the ongoing armed conflict between Government troops and separatist fighters

 Excerpt of The Amnesty International’s Report

Reference is made to the documents 01, 02 where prosecution refers to Amnesty International:

“- – – – armed separatists have been responsible for numerous crimes against the population in the Anglophone regions, ranging from murders, abductions, torture, and destruction of homes. They have targeted people suspected of collaboration with the defense and security forces, and people accused of not complying with orders they have tried to impose in the areas they want to control. These include teachers and students attending public schools closed by the separatists, civil servants, government official, traditional leaders (called ‘Fon’), and members and supporters of the ruling party. Others have been targeted because of their social status or visible resources”.

The prosecution has further written in documents 01, 02: “There are statements in the reports that separatists kidnap and will kill politicians they consider collaborators or traitors to Ambazonia, that they close down and burn educational institutions, and that they specifically target both teachers and students whom they believe do not follow the orders not to attend schools, issued by the Ambazonia’s leadership”.

The Official Court Hearing Report of the Oslo District Court, Amnesty International has also documented attacks on other civilians involving murders and kidnappings, if they do not comply with the orders given by Ambzonia’s leadership.

Human Rights Watch / UN  

Reference is especially made to Human Right Watch’s report from 2021. “They are destroying our future, which discusses attacks by armed separatists on students, teachers and schools, but also reviews the development of the conflict and escalations”,

Among other things, it is stated on page 2 of the report that “separatist fighters have killed, kidnapped, assaulted, threatened, or extorted hundreds of students and teachers at school, on the way to school, or at home”. The Prosecution at the Oslo District Court have remarked that on page 34 of the 2021 report by Human Rights Watch, it is stated that since 2017, over 500 students have been attacked in Anglophone regions by separatist groups, according to United Nations.  Human Rights Watch documented over 20 kidnappings, murders and violence committed by the same groups to prevent students from attending school. Furthermore, Human Rights Watch has documented that the separatists have been behind the kidnapping of 255 students.

“The reviewed material shows the conflict has escalated and that attacks are largely also directed against teachers, students, politicians, and the general population who do not comply with the orders issued by the AGC. The attacks against the population are also severe”, the Prosecution at the Oslo Court has stated about the report of Human Rights Watch.

UN High Commissioner For Human Rights

It should be noted that the report of the UN High Commission for Human Rights on atrocities being committed against students and teachers, as well as the civilian population in general, in the ongoing crisis in the two Anglophone Regions (Northwest and Southwest) in Cameroon, is similar to that of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

The Un High Commissioner for Human Rights, VOLER TURK, who paid a two  day working  visit to Cameroon last August, issued a statement at the end of the visit on August 7, 2024.  Below is an excerpt of what he said about the Anglophone Crisis:

“In the Northwest and Southwest Regions, what began as peaceful protests in 2016, has turned into a major crisis for the civilian population, with clashes between separatist groups, and security forces, including the military, leaving thousands killed, hundreds of thousands displaced, and the denial of the right to education to more than 700,000 children. Reports continue to emerge of human rights violations and abuses, including unlawful killings, ill –treatment and torture, kidnappings for ransoms, and restriction on freedom of movement. The imposition of ‘lockdown days’ by separatist groups, preventing children from going to school, people from accessing their livelihoods, at the risk of being shot – this is unacceptable and should be condemned”

 Part Of Evidences In The Possession Of The Prosecution In Case Against Ayaba Cho

Worth noting, that Transparency International, Human Rights Watch and the UN Human Rights Commission, are all recognized and respected by democratic governments or countries across the world as credible international human rights organizations. No such government or country will have any sympathy for separatist groups in any country, that are presented in the reports of these organizations as notorious for committing horrible  atrocities against the civilian population., as cited above in excepts of the reports of these organizations. As aforementioned, the reports of Transparency International and Human Rights Watch cited above, are part of the evidences presented to the court by the Prosecution in the case against the leader of the ADF, Ayaba Cho Lucas, charged for Incitement to Crimes Against Humanity, at the Oslo District Court in Norway. Ayaba Cho Lucas that was arrested in Oslo, Norway on September 25, 2024, is presently on pretrial detention on the request of the Prosecution, and will have to spend the upcoming Christmas and New Year in cell.

Lawyer Of Victims Of Atrocities Committed By Separatist Groups

It would be recalled that the principal force behind the arrest of the Norway based leader of ADF / AGoVC, Ayaba Cho Lucas, who is known in Norway as Cho Lucas Yabah,  was a letter dated June 25, 2024 that the US based lawyer, Emmanuel Nsahlai, of  the Nsahlai Law Firm, addressed to the Prime Minister of Norway, as well as a complaint supported by documents, pictures and videos,  that he filed with the judiciary in Norway. The letter and the complaints were all on atrocities committed by the ADF whose commander is Ayaba Cho, in the ongoing crisis or conflict in the two Anglophone Regions in Cameroon.

It should be noted that Barrister Emmanuel Nsahlai is the lawyer of victims of atrocities committed by separatist groups in the ongoing Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon. It would be recalled that before Barrister Emmanuel Nsahlai addressed the letter to the Prime Minister as well as filed the complaint with Judiciary of Norway, he held a press conference in Cameroon’s capital, Yaounde, with some victims or family members of some victims of atrocities committed by separatist groups. One of the person that spoke at that press conference, was the daughter of late Madam Florence Ayafor, who was a wardress at the Bamenda Central Prison in the Northwest Region. It would be recalled that Madam Florence Ayafor traveled to her village, Pinyin, and upon her way back to Bamenda, she was pulled out of a public transport vehicle by a group of separatist fighters, who dragged her into  the bush, stripped her naked, subjected her to severe torture, murdered her, and paraded around with her naked corpse. HORRIBLE!

By Joe Dinga Pefok (Uncle Joe)

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