Belgian authorities said on Tuesday they had arrested four people as part of a probe targeting a Cameroonian secessionist group over possible war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The two English-speaking regions of Francophone-majority Cameroon, in the northwest and southwest, have been plagued since 2016 by a conflict between separatists and state forces.

Belgian prosecutors said the arrests followed simultaneous searches in Antwerp and the Flemish town of Londerzeel on Sunday.

They came within an investigation launched last summer focusing on individuals residing in Belgium and suspected to be part of the leadership of the Ambazonia Defence Forces, a separatist group.

“Money is reportedly being raised for the armed struggle and for the purchase of arms and ammunition, and instructions for attacks and liquidations are said to be given from Belgium,” Belgium’s federal prosecutor office said.

Three of the suspects were remanded in custody by the investigating judge, it added.

The conflict in Cameroon erupted after President Paul Biya, who has ruled for more than four decades, violently suppressed peaceful protests by English speakers, many of whom feel marginalised.

The anglophone community comprises about 20 percent of the population.

At least 6,000 civilians have been killed since the conflict began, according to Human Rights Watch.

Belgian prosecutors said they were collaborating with authorities in Norway and the United States, where similar probes are being conducted.

The arrests in Belgium follow arrests in both Norway and the United States.

Source: AFP