Federal prosecutors say three people have been placed in custody in connection with alleged crimes linked to Cameroon’s long-running separatist conflict. The suspects are believed to be senior figures in the Ambazonia Defense Forces (ADF), an armed group fighting for the independence of Cameroon’s English-speaking regions.
The arrests followed coordinated searches in Antwerp and the Flemish town of Londerzeel. Four people were initially detained on Sunday. “Three of the suspects were remanded in custody by the investigating judge,” the federal prosecutor’s office said.
The war may not only be fought in the forests of Cameroon’s North-West and South-West regions. Belgian authorities believe parts of the conflict could be directed from Europe.
“Money is reportedly being raised for the armed struggle and for the purchase of arms and ammunition, and instructions for attacks… are said to be given from Belgium,” the federal prosecutor’s office said.
The investigation began last summer and focuses on individuals living in Belgium who are suspected of being part of the ADF leadership. Prosecutors are examining whether support networks abroad played a role in sustaining the violence.
Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis started in 2016 when teachers and lawyers protested against the growing use of French in courts and schools in English-speaking areas. A year later, separatist leaders declared an independent state they call Ambazonia. Fighting soon broke out between armed groups and government forces.
The United Nations says more than 6,500 people have been killed since the conflict began nearly a decade ago. The unrest has also forced more than 490,000 people from their homes and left more than 1.5 million in need of humanitarian assistance.
Rights groups have accused both separatist fighters and state forces of serious abuses.
The arrests in Belgium come after similar investigations in Norway and the United States, showing that the crisis has spread beyond Cameroon’s borders in legal terms, even if the gunfire remains there.
President Paul Biya, who has ruled Cameroon for more than four decades, says his government has made significant efforts to resolve the conflict. However, his administration continues to face criticism over how it has handled the crisis and over limits on political freedoms.