Norway arrests man on suspicion of inciting crimes

26/9/2024 6:18

        Norwegian police said on
        Wednesday they had arrested a man on suspicion of incitement to
        crimes against humanity in Cameroon, and they sought an Oslo
        court's permission to keep him in preventive custody while the
        investigation continues.
        
        Police said in a statement the man was in his 50s and was
        suspected of playing a key role in an ongoing armed conflict in
        the central African country.
        
        A spokesperson for the Oslo district court named the man as
        Cho Lucas Yabah.
        
        His lawyer, Morten Engesbak, said the suspect would plead
        not guilty to the accusations against him and opposed the police
        demand for him to be kept in custody.
        
        "He believes the case is based on an incorrect understanding
        of the situation in Cameroon and of his role," Engesbak said in
        a statement to Reuters, adding that Yabah was cooperating with
        the investigation.
        
        Separatists have been fighting government forces in
        Cameroon's two English-speaking regions since 2017 to protest
        over what they see as marginalisation by the majority
        French-speaking authorities.
        
        More than 6,000 people have been killed in the conflict and
        human rights group Amnesty International has accused government
        troops, militias and separatists of killings, rapes, torture,
        burning of houses and other abuses.
        
        "Norway has an international responsibility to ensure that
        we are not a free haven for people who commit war crimes or
        crimes against humanity," Norwegian police investigator Anette
        Berger said in a statement.