US Court Jails Three for Financing Cameroon Separatist Fighters
 |
| Francis Chenyi Sr., 52, and Lah Nestor Langmi, 49, were each sentenced to 15 years in prison. Claude Ngenevu Chi, 43, was sentenced to 63 months in prison. |
WASHINGTON – Three US residents of Cameroonian origin have been sentenced to prison for financing separatist fighters in Cameroon, including by supporting bombings and kidnappings.
Francis Chenyi Sr., 52, and Lah Nestor Langmi, 49, were each sentenced to 15 years in prison. Claude Ngenevu Chi, 43, was sentenced to 63 months in prison.
Chenyi and Langmi were convicted of providing material support for murder and the use of weapons of mass destruction overseas; they pleaded guilty to these charges.
According to prosecutors, Langmi incited rebels to kidnap a traditional chief, who was captured alongside Catholic Cardinal Christian Tumi. Chenyi provided questions for interrogations and approved ransom payments.
The men financed the manufacture of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and the training of fighters, using person-to-person money transfers between the United States and Cameroon.
Langmi also planned attacks during the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations and in Cameroon's Northwest Region in 2022.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI; this is one of the first US prosecutions linked to the Anglophone separatist conflict, which has claimed thousands of lives since 2017.