US Army major nurse charged in Virginia with plotting to support Cameroon separatist fighters, court records show, unsealed this week.
Officials say Maj. Kenneth Chungag, stationed at Fort Belvoir, allegedly used military training to aid Ambazonia Defense Forces insurgent group in Cameroon.
Chungag and co-defendant Mercy Akwi Ombaku were arrested Monday on federal conspiracy charges, then later released by magistrate judge.
Defense attorney Robert Jenkins said Chungag is dismayed by charges and expects a timely, just legal resolution of the matter in court.
In 2020, investigators say Chungag began communicating online with ADF members and falsely claimed Iraq combat experience to raise his profile.
He allegedly conspired to transfer US funds with Ombaku to Cameroon for purchase of AK-47 assault rifles, FBI says.
Investigators say Chungag became disillusioned in 2024, later deleting messages from phone communications after FBI inquiries related to ADF began.
Cameroon’s Anglophone conflict has killed thousands since 2017, with separatists seeking independence from central government rule in prolonged war.
The separatist movement traces back to the 1960s union of British Southern Cameroons with Cameroon after UN trusteeship period.
Pope Leo XIV recently held a peace meeting in Anglophone regions during Africa visit, amid brief separatist ceasefire announced by groups.
Ombaku, a Maryland healthcare worker, also faces conspiracy charges and denied ADF affiliation during FBI questioning last July, according to records.
Fort Belvoir lies south of Washington along the Potomac River, where Chungag worked at a community hospital facility military base.