A federal grand jury on Thursday indicted a Gaithersburg man on charges related to providing support to separatist groups in the Central African country of Cameroon and making threatening communications to injure or kidnap civilians there, according to a statement from the District of Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Eric Tano Tataw, 38, a citizen of Cameroon, allegedly conspired to provide support and resources to Cameroon separatist groups often referred to as “Amba Boys” and called for attacks against Cameroon’s civilians, according to Friday’s statement.
If convicted, Tataw faces a maximum sentence of 15 years for providing material support and five years each for every count of threatening communications. As of Friday afternoon, Tataw doesn’t have a lawyer listed in online court records related to the charges.
Several separatist groups in Cameroon have been fighting since 2017 to establish a new proposed state called Ambazonia, according to Reuters. Both the Cameroon military and armed separatists have been accused of human rights abuses in the conflict, Reuters reported. According to the Human Rights Watch, separatist groups often intentionally attack civilians in Cameroon, often forcing people to stay at home, and launch attacks at events such as elections and when schools re-open.
Tataw has a large social media following, according to the U.S. attorney’s office. Beginning in 2018, Tataw allegedly conspired to provide money, weapons and personnel to Amba Boys in Cameroon. The indictment also alleges that Tataw called for the murder, kidnapping and maiming of Cameroonian civilians.
The statement alleges that Tataw and co-conspirators “directed the maiming of Cameroonian civilians by severing their limbs,” which Tataw called “garriing.” Tataw also allegedly referred to himself as the “garri master,” or master of mutilation, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
Tataw and other co-conspirators allegedly targeted those believed to be working with or collaborating with the government of Cameroon. According to the statement, Tataw allegedly “personally wrote” hundreds of social media posts calling for attacks on Cameroonian civilians, seeking funds for separatists and threatening people he believed to be cooperating with the Cameroon government.
The posts were “regularly viewed by tens of thousands of people,” according to the statement, and were watched by Amba Boys and disseminated by other third parties allegedly acting at Tataw’s direction or encouragement.
In July 2024, NBC4 reported on Tataw’s separatist social media presence and a federal indictment Tataw faced related to fraud and witness tampering charges after Tataw’s Gaithersburg neighbors raised concerns about large pool parties Tataw hosted. The cases are ongoing, and Tataw hasn’t been convicted on the charges, according to online court records.
According to the U.S. attorney’s office, Tataw also allegedly solicited and raised funds for the Amba Boys to obtain firearms, ammunition, explosives and other equipment to carry out violent attacks. Tataw and others allegedly raised more than $110,000 from 2018 to 2020 and transferred the money to the Amba Boys through a campaign that was designed to obtain an AK-47 firearm for every Amba Boy. Tataw also allegedly took credit for the separatist groups’ murder and kidnapping of civilians, the statement said.
