A federal grand jury in Minneapolis has indicted Benedict Nwana Kuah, 51, and Pascal Kikishy Wongbi, 52, both naturalized U.S. citizens, on charges related to organizing and financing violent attacks in Cameroon. The indictment includes counts of conspiracy to kill, kidnap, maim, and injure persons abroad; conspiracy to provide material support or resources; conspiracy to launder monetary instruments; and additional charges against Kuah for providing material support or resources, conspiracy to commit hostage taking, and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction outside the United States.
According to court documents, Kuah and Wongbi are leaders within the Ambazonia Defense Forces (ADF), a separatist group seeking independence for the Northwest and Southwest Regions of Cameroon. Kuah is identified as Chairman of the ADF’s War Council while Wongbi serves as Head of Defense for Logistics and Human Resources. Prosecutors allege that from Minnesota they directed fighters in Cameroon to carry out kidnappings, bombings, and killings targeting civilians, government officials, and security forces.
“The defendants are charged with using the United States as a base of operations to finance and direct kidnappings, bombings, and killings in Cameroon,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Their alleged conduct caused death, terror, and suffering among innocent civilians. The Criminal Division is committed to holding accountable those who seek refuge in the United States while spreading violence abroad.”
“Minnesota is not a launchpad for overseas violence,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “Operating from the comfort of their living rooms in Minnesota, these defendants caused violence and suffering half a world away. They ordered kidnappings, bombings, and murders. Their crimes are an affront to both American law and basic human decency. Cameroon is a safer place because of this prosecution.”
Authorities state that beginning in 2017 Kuah and Wongbi sent thousands of dollars from the U.S., directing attacks such as an April 2022 kidnapping of a Cameroonian official—an incident where ransom demands were made through propaganda videos—and attempts on other officials’ lives including “Operation Rattlesnake” targeting a regional governor.
Further incidents described include funding for improvised explosive devices used at public events like the Mount Cameroon Race for Hope in February 2023 (which injured 19 people) and an attack during Youth Day celebrations in Nkambe in February 2024 that killed one child and injured dozens more.
The indictment also details fundraising efforts by Kuah and Wongbi through social media platforms starting in 2021 under campaigns such as “The Takeover Fund” and “Operation 200AKs,” which sought donations specifically earmarked for purchasing weapons.
Both men were arrested August 21 in Minnesota after an investigation led by the FBI with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations. They remain detained pending hearings scheduled for September.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Roso is prosecuting alongside Trial Attorney Brian Morgan from the Justice Department’s Human Rights Section with further support from other Justice Department staff.
As noted by authorities: An indictment is merely an allegation; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
