Editorial: Ayaba Cho's arrest; Double-edge sword!.

He is notoriously known to boastfully claim responsibility for some of the barbaric atrocities committed in the North West and South West Regions.

The KRIPOS police unit, which handles war crimes and crimes against humanity, said in a statement that Ayaba Cho is suspected of playing a "central role" in the armed conflict in the two English-speaking Regions of the country. 

However, the arrest has ignited a wave of sublime, articulate and ridiculous reactions from his supporters and adversaries alike, thus deepening international attention to the lingering conflict in the North West and South West Regions.

The arrest, according to various media reports, follows months of escalating scrutiny of Ayaba's role in the ongoing separatist conflict, which has seen over 6,000 deaths and displaced nearly a million people since fighting began in 2017.

Ayaba's arrest is part of a broader legal effort to hold him and others accountable for their role in the conflict. 

"We are in the early phase of the investigation…several investigative steps remain," said Norwegian prosecutor, Anette Berger.

The suspect was refused bail “on the basis of the risk of tampering with evidence”.

His defense lawyer insists the case is built on "misinformation, misunderstanding and lies", and Ayaba denies all charges related to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The Guardian Post notes that in one of his bluffing melodramas, he wrote on social media that: “All aid agencies must streamline their operations in Ambazonia and obtain permission from the political leadership. All construction workers must cease any activity not authorised by our forces. Violators risk arrest. Amba is at war. Follow the laws of war laid down by the leadership”.

He is also said to be the author of the diabolic instructions to his militia to burn taxis not painted in white and blue to signify the colour of his utopian country.

Last February, Emmanuel Nsahlai, a lawyer representing victims of the conflict, filed a complaint against Ayaba and the Norwegian government in the United States.

Nsahlai has also petitioned the International Criminal Court to launch an investigation into the war crimes allegedly committed by Ayaba and his Ambazonia Defense Forces.

His arrest and detention have, however, sparked mixed reactions, with likely consequences of being a double-edge sword.

Despite the collateral destruction, murders, kidnapping for ransom and punitive lockdowns allegedly attributed to diabolic instructions from Ayaba, his supporters still swear by him as a ‘freedom fighter’.

In a social media post, one of his supporters wrote: "Ayaba was fully prepared for this moment as an opportunity to further internationalise the Ambazonian cause. This is part of the internationalisation campaign he's been preaching".

"Cameroon just picked a fight with the wrong guy, at the wrong venue, at the wrong time," the supporter added. 

Tapang Ivo, a US-based Ambazonia activist, noted that "anyone can become a target".

Nevertheless, Tapang affirmed the "democratic right to self-determination" for ‘Ambazonians’ and vowed that no amount of intimidation would halt their push for liberation.

Ayaba's opponent of the rival Ambazonia Interim Government, Chris Anu, in a video, indicted him for "crossing the red line...Cho Ayaba was no longer fighting for Ambazonia independence".

Ngong Emmanuel alias Capo Daniel, who was Ayaba Cho's henchman before his resignation one year ago, has been celebrating the arrest, describing it as "justice for victims of Guzang and Nacho shootings," in the restive North West Region of Cameroon.

But Ayaba's Vice President, Julius Nyih, says he is now in command of the Ambazonia Governing Council and that their independence struggle will not stop, adding that: "We have always respected international laws and conventions".

Barrister Emmanuel Nsahlai told the BBC that Ayaba’s incarceration is a “significant victory...this arrest marks a critical step in holding him accountable for his actions and bringing justice to the victims of his violence”.

Ayaba is not the first separatist leader to be arrested abroad. Since the crisis began, the Cameroon government has been lobbying foreign countries hosting separatist leaders and issuing warrants of arrest to repatriate them for trial.

In 2018, Julius Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, the pioneer leader of the "Interim Government" and eight others were arrested in Nigeria and extradited to Cameroon. 

The arrest of Ayaba has not seen the excitement in government circles as that of Ayuk Tabe and Co., given the impression that it could implicate some government operatives.

The other dire ramification for the government is that charging Ayaba with "war crimes" at the International Criminal Court, ICC, is an international confirmation that there is a war in Cameroon, not "the situation" in the two English-speaking Regions, as government spin doctors often refer to it.

There have also been numerous international human rights reports, accusing security and defence forces of extrajudicial killings, burning entire villages and committing crimes against humanity. 

The government has, however, been refuting the indictment, explaining that its forces operate with the "professionalism" of the rule of law.

As Tibor Peter Nagy, former US Undersecretary for African Affairs, a fervent and persistent commentator on the conflict has said: “The reasons given by Norway for arresting Cho Ayaba can just as easily apply to Cameroonian security officials".

Would that not be spilling the beans that could smear some officials in Yaounde and the two affected Regions?

Will the excruciating sword of justice not slice some officials the Douala-based legal consultant and peace crusader, Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle, has said, are reaping from the bloody spoils of the conflict? 

How far the ramification of the arrest, which promises to open Pandora's box, will spread is a matter of time, given the Norwegian prosecutor's pledge that they "are in the early phase of the investigation and several investigative steps remain".

This article was first published in The Guardian Post issue N0:3245 of Monday September 30, 2024