Lead
On Sept. 5, 2025, federal prosecutors in Minnesota indicted two naturalized U.S. citizens, Benedict Nwana Kuah and Pascale Pascal Kikishy Wongbi, alleging they led and funded the Ambazonia separatist campaign in Cameroon and wired tens of thousands of dollars to fighters overseas.
Key Takeaways
- Two Minnesota residents — Benedict Nwana Kuah (51) of Woodbury and Pascale Pascal Kikishy Wongbi (52) of Ramsey City — were arrested and charged on Sept. 5, 2025.
- Charges include conspiracy to kill, kidnap, maim and injure persons abroad, and conspiracy to launder money; Kuah faces additional hostage and WMD-related conspiracy counts.
- If convicted on the most serious counts, defendants could face life imprisonment under U.S. federal law.
- Prosecutors say the leaders ran fundraising and command operations remotely, using WhatsApp groups and online appeals to collect money and direct fighters.
- Investigators tie the transfers to more than $31,000 in donations and to an online campaign called “Operation 200 AKs.”
- The indictment cites high-profile incidents including the April 2022 kidnapping of Senator Elizabeth Regina Mundi, then 79, which prosecutors attribute in part to directives from exiled commanders.
- Human rights groups estimate thousands of deaths and large-scale displacement in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions amid a decade-long conflict.
Verified Facts
Federal officials say the two men have acted since at least 2017 as commanders in exile for the Ambazonia Defense Forces and as fundraisers and spokespeople for the separatist movement. The indictment, filed in Minnesota, alleges that the pair used social media and encrypted messaging to attribute orders and coordinate funding for armed operations inside Cameroon.
Prosecutors detail that the defendants solicited donations from the diaspora and sent funds to operatives on the ground. One fundraising push, identified in the indictment as “Operation 200 AKs,” collected more than $31,000 that was wired overseas to purchase weapons and materiel, officials say.
The charges brought include conspiracy to kill, kidnap, maim and injure persons abroad and conspiracy to launder money. Mr. Kuah additionally is charged with conspiring to take a hostage and conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction overseas — allegations that, if proven, carry the highest penalties under federal statutes.
The indictment cites specific violent acts attributed to the separatists, including bombings, executions and kidnappings. Prosecutors reference the April 2022 abduction of Senator Elizabeth Regina Mundi, saying the commanders discussed her fate in internal chats and that one message stated, “THIS WOMAN WILL NOT GO FREE,” while another urged, “take her out ASAP!” These lines appear in the charging documents as messages exchanged in a commanders’ WhatsApp group.
Context & Impact
Cameroon’s conflict has roots in the colonial-era merger of French and British territories in the 1960s. Anglophone communities in the country’s west have long complained of political and cultural marginalization. Protests by lawyers and teachers in 2016 escalated into an armed separatist movement by 2017.
Human rights organizations have documented abuses by both the Cameroonian military and separatist forces. Amnesty International reported in 2023 that both sides committed atrocities including unlawful killings and sexual violence; Human Rights Watch estimated roughly 6,000 deaths in clashes involving separatists and government forces. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced.
The diaspora has played a notable administrative and financial role for the separatist movement. U.S. Census figures cited by prosecutors show more than 89,000 Cameroonians living in the United States in 2022; Minnesota’s community has grown rapidly and is identified by officials as part of the fundraising network.
Legal action in the United States signals an intensified effort by U.S. authorities to disrupt foreign-directed violence that is planned or financed from American soil. The case could prompt closer scrutiny of diaspora fundraising platforms and encrypted messaging channels used to coordinate overseas activities.
Potential Local Effects
- Increased law enforcement engagement with diaspora communities and local leaders.
- Heightened scrutiny of remittance flows and online fundraising tied to conflict zones.
- Possible diplomatic dialogue between U.S. and Cameroonian officials about transnational violent activity.
Official Statements
“Minnesota is not a launchpad for overseas violence,”
Joseph H. Thompson, Acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota
Explainer
Unconfirmed
- No public record yet confirms whether the defendants had retained counsel at the time of the arrest.
- The precise use of every donated dollar cited in the indictment is under investigation and has not been independently verified outside the charging documents.
- Some statements attributed to the movement remain available only from social media posts and prosecutor filings; independent corroboration of every operational order is pending.
Bottom Line
The Minnesota indictments mark a notable enforcement moment: U.S. authorities are treating alleged overseas insurgent leadership and fundraising conducted from U.S. territory as prosecutable offenses. The case underscores the transnational dimensions of the Anglophone crisis in Cameroon and may lead to closer oversight of diaspora networks, while the defendants will have the opportunity to contest the charges in court.