Accused Individual Faces Charges for Allegedly Aiding Cameroon Separatist Movements, Labeled as a "Master of Mutilation"
Rewritten Article:
Brewing some shocking news here, folks! A bloke from Maryland, Eric Tataw, has been indicted on some hefty charges. Federal authorities have claimed that he's been making threatening communications, urging harm against Cameroon citizens and providing support to separatist groups. The dude, who goes by "Garri master," is suspected of ordering violent groups to carry out nasty acts like mutilation and murders, all in the name of a secessionist movement terrorizing Cameroon.
Tataw, a Cameroonian national, surrendered and was set to make his initial court appearance on Friday. The Department said, "The defendant is accused of ordering horrific acts of violence, including dismembering civilians, in support of a violent separation movement."
Prosecutors pointed out that Tataw uses specific phrases like "Garriing" and "small Garri" for smaller body parts, and "large Garri" for limbs or murder. What a twisted character, huh?
The separatist fighters, known as "Amba Boys," are demanding the formation of a new country called "Ambazonia," aiming to secede the Northwest and Southwest regions. They're employing brutal tactics, including attacking the military and civilians, to pressure the government into allowing secession.
Sparked in 2016, the violence in the western regions of Cameroon began with Francophone authorities taking over English-speaking regions, leading to angst and protests from the Anglophone community. The country, once governed by two legal systems – English common law and French civil law – is now embroiled in chaos.
The indictment alleges that Tataw started raising funds in April 2018 to finance the Amba Boys' attacks. With a substantial following on social media, he regularly posted content calling for civilians to be attacked and money to be sent to arm the Amba Boys. These posts often received tens of thousands of views, with the Amba Boys and Tataw himself allegedly urging third parties to share them further.
From September 2018 to December 2020, Tataw and his accomplices reportedly raised over $110,000. They transferred these funds to Amba Boys in Cameroon and neighboring Nigeria, the release stated. As of now, the alleged co-conspirators have not been named.
Tataw is accused of communicating directly with Amba Boy leaders, taking credit for their atrocities, and targeting individuals cooperating with the Cameroonian government. He threatened municipal officials, traditional chiefs, CDC employees, and called for public, educational, and cultural properties to be destroyed.
U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland commented, "Tataw and his co-conspirators masterminded and financially supported a vicious scheme to overthrow a foreign government, resorting to unthinkable levels of violence while spreading fear among innocent victims to advance their political agenda."
Tataw now faces four counts of interstate communication of a threat to harm and one count of conspiracy to provide material support. If convicted, he could face up to five years for each count of communication of threat to harm and 15 years on the material support count.
Stay tuned as we bring you more updates on this unfolding story!
Additional Insights:
- The Amba Boys are part of the Anglophone Crisis, a larger political, ethnic, and regional conflict in Cameroon between English- and French-speaking communities.
- The Amba Boys have been using terrorist tactics, including mutilation, kidnapping, and attacks on public infrastructure, to pressure the Cameroonian government and intimidate civilians supporting the government.
- Eric Tataw, a Cameroonian living in the United States, is one of the individuals accused of materially supporting the Amba Boys. He has been allegedly using social media platforms to coordinate funding and terror operations, calling himself "Garri master" due to his role in buying weapons for the militant group.
- Eric Tataw, the Garri master, is accused of raising funds since April 2018, using social media to call for attacks on Cameroonian civilians and arm the Amba Boys, collecting over $110,000.
- Tataw, the Cameroonian national living in Maryland, allegedly communicated directly with Amba Boy leaders, took credit for their atrocities, and ordered violent acts like mutilation and murders.
- Prosecutors claim Tataw used specific phrases like "Garriing" and "small Garri" for smaller body parts, and "large Garri" for limbs or murder, indicating his role in ordering these violent acts.
- Stemming from the Anglophone Crisis, the Amba Boys, a separatist group demanding the secession of the Northwest and Southwest regions to form a new country called Ambazonia, have been employing terrorist tactics like attacking the military, civilians, and public infrastructure.
- The Amba Boys are part of a larger political, ethnic, and regional conflict in Cameroon, where English- and French-speaking communities are in conflict, and their violent actions have led to extensive violence and a crisis in the country.
