A priest in Cameroon’s Northwest region has been released by unknown gunmen after about two days in detention, Catholic Church leaders have disclosed. The Bamenda Archdiocese confirmed that Rev. Father William Niba had been abducted in the town of Belo. He was the principal of St. Bede’s College.

His arrest is said to be connected with the failure to observe a social boycott call by separatists. Local media sources reported that after the kidnapping of the principal panic gripped the school as parents rushed to withdraw their children.

Kidnapping is rampant among a section of the secessionists pushing for independence from French-majority Cameroon. The two Anglophone regions – Northwest and Southwest have long protested marginalization from the central government.

The main separatist group pushing for the so-called Ambazonia Republic command the Ambazonia Defence Forces (ADF) which says it targets members of the security forces but was not engaged in kidnap.

It suggests that other fringe groups are engaged in the kidnappings. The security situation in the region has meant curfews are in place supposedly to control the incidence of attacks.

The army has denied using reprisals against citizens after separatists attack them. That is contrary to reports by local media and rights groups that accuse them of human rights violations.

Source: Africa News

Rwanda has closed thousands of churches in recent months, for alleged ‘noise pollution’ and non-compliance of building regulations. Now another predominantly Christian country is considering following suit.

World Watch Monitor reports, Cameroon has previously enacted similar measures – like the order to close dozens of “noisy” churches in 2013.

The government said it was mainly targeting unofficial Pentecostal churches, engaged in ‘indecent’ practices. The latest call to close some Pentecostal churches follows reports of gross misconduct by Cameroon pastors.

Phil Clark from the University of London said Pentecostalism is growing in Rwanda – and church closures there are much more politically influenced than the government says. He said it signals that they’re under observation.

Source: Vision Christian Radio

Cardinal Christian Tumi, the Archbishop emeritus of Douala, has accused the Cameroon military of excessive use of force against unarmed civilians in Cameroon’s North West and South West regions. The two English-speaking regions, that constitute 20 percent of Cameroon’s over 24 million people, have been in turmoil for over a year now over perceived marginalization and an assimilation drive by the predominantly French-speaking administration of long-serving President Paul Biya.

The current “Anglophone crisis” began in late 2016, when disgruntled lawyers and teachers began protesting the use of French in courts using the Anglo-Saxon common law tradition (practiced in the English parts of the country) and in Anglophone schools. The demonstrations soon spread to the general public, and the calls for outright secession started growing.

In a strongly-worded statement released on October 6, 2017, the Anglophone bishops condemned “the barbarism and the irresponsible use of firearms against unarmed civilians by the Forces of Law and Order” and called on Biya to stop “the bloodbath and genocide that has skillfully been initiated in the North West and South West Regions.”

In the absence of a dialogue initiative from the government, many English-speakers are now calling for secession, and the formation of a new state called Ambazonia.

The country’s president has promised to “eliminate the secessionists.” Biya has deployed the military to the two regions, but their actions on the ground have met with severe criticism by Tumi.

During a visit to the country’s North West Region, the cardinal gathered harrowing tales of torture, destruction and killings. “I was in Mbim village on 28 February and the military had visited the same village a day earlier,” Tumi told Crux.

“I saw and listened to people in their depression…I saw houses that had been reduced to ruins, to dust and ashes. I saw the house of a man who had fled with his wife and six children, reduced to dust and ashes,” the cardinal said.

Tumi described various signs of destruction in the village, including a destroyed water project, and a vandalized cooperative union. He also said the military harassed the population and committed crimes against the people.

“I saw the house of an old man ramshackled and I was told that the army had made away with two generators of the family. I saw a man looking completely depressed from whom the military had made away with $1500,” the cardinal said. “I saw the bar of a young man running a small business from where hundreds of bottles of beer had been taken away by the army, and what could not be taken was broken to bits and pieces.”

He said security forces also burned the villagers’ crops, destroying the year’s harvest. Tumi told Crux he was struck by the question an old man in Mbim asked him: “Cardinal, just what crime have we committed, that the army should be sent to treat us this way, as if we were foreigners who had come to ransack the village?”

Tumi said the lives of the “simple, innocent people” had been shattered by the actions of the military.

“If they are looking for a criminal, let them look for the criminal in all patience. They should not draw the conclusion that since the criminal was in this village, everybody in the village becomes a criminal. It’s not a logical conclusion,” the cardinal said.

Similar scenes of destruction are visible in many parts of Cameroon’s South West Region, where “Ambazonian” fighters have been engaged in hit-and-run attacks on security forces.

The attacks in both regions have so far left at least 24 members of the security forces dead. It is difficult to estimate civilian deaths, but UN human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein has noted that “allegations of summary executions of civilians by members of the security forces have been reported, and are generating widespread resentment.”

The military action has been hard and decisive, with entire villages being burned to the ground, and several people being killed extrajudicially.

“An old woman who couldn’t flee was burnt to death in the South West,” Tumi said.

Bishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya of Mamfe – in the South West Region – said the destruction in Kembong village, where four soldiers had been killed by secessionists, looked like “a horror movie.”

“I saw more than 20 houses burnt down by soldiers and one dead body still lying there, being fed on by dogs and chicken,” said Nkea.

“Of the village’s 5,000 or so residents, only 30 remained, all huddled in the house of the area’s priest because they had nowhere else to go,” he said.

Tumi also claimed that the crisis could be serving to enrich some top-ranking people in the military.

“We are told that some high-ranking military people use the crisis to enrich themselves, because the state spends on these military operations, and the account on how the money is spent is not given,” he told Crux.

The cardinal blamed Biya for choosing a military solution for a purely political problem.

“The presence of the army is no solution. With a human being, you reason: You don’t use violence as if you are treating a beast. That is why the world is calling for dialogue. Nothing can be done without our meeting to talk about the problems. Many have called for what is called inclusive dialogue. The government should dialogue with everybody,” Tumi said.

Cameroon’s bilingual and bi-cultural status derived from its colonial heritage. Initially administered as a German Protectorate in 1884, Cameroon would later be shared with France and Britain as League of Nations Mandates after Germany was defeated in the First World War.

The end of the Second World War and the establishment of the United Nations saw the two parts of Cameroon transition from mandated territories to UN Trust Territories.

In 1960, the northern part of Cameroon administered by France gained its independence. The southern part administered by Britain as part of Nigeria was in 1961 subject to a plebiscite in which they were offered independence by reuniting with their francophone Cameroonian “brothers” or by remaining part of Nigeria.

The results showed an overwhelming desire by English-speaking Cameroonians to reunite with the French-speaking part of Cameroon.

The “marriage” was guaranteed by a Federal Constitution that was meant to preserve and protect the minority Anglophones and their colonial heritage. But in 1972 then-President Ahmadou Ahidjo organized a referendum that dissolved the federation in favor of a united republic, thereby removing the protections Anglophones enjoyed.

As the current crisis worsens, several Anglophones have fled to Nigeria, causing a refugee crisis in Cameroon’s neighbor. The United Nations has expressed “great concern” over Nigeria returning dozens of asylum seekers to Cameroon.

“We also urge the Government of Cameroon to ensure that the group is treated in accordance with human rights law and standards,” the UN refugee agency said in a statement.

Culled from Cruxnow.com

Culled from L’Effort Camerounaise

A two-man crime spree on December the 19^th 2017 in Yaoundé ended in the murder of Revered Ewala Jeremiah of the Presbyterian Church at Nkolbison, according to information released by the police.  .

Officials on Thursday the 4^th of January 2018 announced murder charges against two men—in the killing of Pastor Jeremiah Ewala on the sanctuary of the Nkolbison Church. The main culprit, a 16 year old had faced related burglary charges.

The Nkolbison district prosecutor’s office made public the charges, hours after police announced the arrest of the two young men.  Some religious leaders in the nation’s capital have expressed extreme relief by the news of the arrest and hoped “that Jesus would give the pastor’s family and the church a heart of forgiveness.

Our Yaoundé informant who had strong ties with the late Pastor Jeremiah Ewala said “Though everything inside of me wants to hate, be angry, and slip into despair I choose the route of forgiveness, grace and hope.”

Police in Yaoundé had identified the body found behind the Presbyterian Church at Nkolbison as that of Revered Ewala Jeremiah who served as Parish Pastor in the Nkolbison congregation. Police also hinted that the death was deemed suspicious. The late Pastor Ewala Jeremiah went missing since Tuesday the 19th of December 2017.

By Rita Akana

Police in Yaoundé have identified the body found behind the Presbyterian Church at Nkolbison as that of Revered Ewala Jeremiah who served as Parish Pastor in the Nkolbison congregation. Police hinted Cameroon Concord News that the death was deemed suspicious.

According to an earlier message posted on social media by the Presbyterian Secretary for East Moungo North, Rev. Emmanuel B. Masok, Pastor Ewala Jeremiah went missing since Tuesday the 19^th of December 2017.

Search efforts earlier had included calls and messages send to his cell phone. The body will be examined medically for positive identification. At the moment, Anglophone Christians in Yaoundé do suspect “foul play.”

Rev Ewala Jeremiah’s demise comes after that of Bishop Jean Balla of the Diocese of Bafia. Our Yaoundé city reporter who contributed to this report pointed out that “Cameroon is experiencing too many ritual killings.”

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

The Bishop of the Diocese of Mamfe His Lordship Bishop Andrew Nkea has called on Christians in Manyu Division to pray for peace in the Anglophone regions of the country.  In a diocesan press release issued yesterday Friday the 22^nd 2017 to all priests, Christians and people of goodwill in Manyu, Bishop Nkea spoke of the abhorrent acts of hatred displayed by the Cameroon army in Kembong and therefore summoned Christians to fervent prayer and peaceful action.

Bishop Andrew Nkea stands with all who were victims of the attack on Kembong village and entrust all who suffer to the prayers of the Blessed John Paul II as we approach Christmas.

In the two page document, Bishop Nkea outlined the reasons for the desperate need for prayers in Manyu Division. The Roman Catholic prelate observed that things have become more intractable in the Manyu constituency. He recounted some of the atrocities witnessed in kembong within the last seven days and appealed to all to make sure they dedicate 30 minutes each day to pray for peace.

In an interview the man of God granted the BBC, Bishop Nkea opined that it was extremely difficult at this stage to speak of a lasting solution to the crisis that has rocked the Anglophone regions. The Bishop of Mamfe also did confirm to the BBC that some 20 houses were completely destroyed by Cameroon government forces in Kembong. The attack by Cameroon government troops on the people of Kembong has been interpreted by some Anglophone barons of the ruling CPDM regime as “an attack on the unity of the nation.”

By Judith Fon in Mamfe

The Bishop of the Diocese of Mamfe, His Lordship Bishop Andrew Nkea has visited Kembong village destroyed by the Francophone dominated armed forces recently in one of the most deadliest attack ever since the Southern Cameroons uprising.

Cameroon Concord News gathered the man of God was speechless as he walked across the numerous houses burnt down by the Francophone army.  6 Cameroonian soldiers  were also killed, 6 riffles  were seized by the Southern Cameroons militants and a pickup  4×4 hilux  truck was damaged along  the Mfuni road that  left  some of the passengers  seriously  wounded.

For a reminder, the village of Kembong in Eyumojock Sub constituency suffered casualties with the most pathetic being the burning down of the home of the late UNDP parliamentarian Chief Alfred Besong by government soldiers. The Cameroon government troops also set fire on the only hotel in kembong including five other buildings.  A new brand Siena car was destroyed and a civilian shot on the leg.   The villagers have all escaped to the forest and kembong is now a ghost village.

By Judith Fon

The emeritus Bishop of Bafoussam, Bishop Gabriel Simo has passed away in the early hours of Friday the 24^th of November, 2017 following a protracted illness at the Regional Hospital in Bafoussam.

Paralyzed by a disease for many years, the auxiliary bishop of Bafoussam Bishop Simo Gabriel reportedly resigned his post on September 14, 2013. In accordance with Canon 411 and 401 § 1 of the Code of Canon Law, the Holy Father Pope Francis accepted the renunciation of the position of auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Bafoussam presented by Bishop Gabriel Simo. At this time the prelate was not only ill, but had also reached the age limit.

Born March 15, 1937 in Bapa and ordained into the priesthood on March 27, 1966, Bishop Gabriel Simo was installed Auxiliary Bishop of Douala on April 2, 1987 at the same time as Bishop Simon Victor Tonyé Bakot. They were both appointed auxiliary bishops on the 21^st of February 1987. While Bishop Tonyé Bakot was later named Bishop of Edéa in 1993, Bishop Gabriel Simo was retained Auxiliary Bishop and appointed to Bafoussam in 1994-the functions he held until his appointment waiver in 2013. He celebrated a solemn Mass of Thanksgiving for his 50 years in the priesthood on Thursday, September 29, 2016.

By Sama Ernest with files from CIN

Cardinal Tumi has published a book in which he makes public his position on the Southern Cameroons crisis. Aged 87, the respected man of God continues to make his voice heard in the hot topics of the nation. On the subject of the Anglophone uprising, the archbishop emeritus of Douala said, ” Everything is possible! If we had accepted the dialogue, if we had not suppressed the federation, and this unilaterally, we would not have provoked the youth who are now fighting for the separation of the English-speaking part of the country. A youth that was not yet born at the time of independence! (…) I would opt for the federation in this country. A federation is not a bad thing. I believe in federalism. Our country was already there. But because of economic interests that do not benefit average Cameroonians at all, we have not given a chance to this political experiment that has proven itself elsewhere.”

The 294 page-document contains interviews that the prelate has given for almost 15 years to local and international media houses including the Catholic weekly and L’Effort Camerounais. The first part comprises of fourteen chapters and deals with Tumi’s social and ecclesial gaze. The second part has six chapters and concerns the political and economic vision of the Cardinal.

Tumi says the crisis continues because of “lack of dialogue, “We have to listen to them and try to find out what they want. We must privilege dialogue. When we talk, we solve a lot of problems. The problem is that we did not create a dialogue forum. It’s hard to admit secession. Federalism is possible! The experience of the federation is interesting throughout the world. The best example is the United States with elected governors, “says the man of God.

By Rita Akana, CCN