“The crisis has taken its toll on the life of the people in Kumbo and of course, the Church is also affected,” he further said, adding, “It has been difficult to meet the needs of the people in the Diocese located in the Northwestern region of Cameroon.”
Despite the challenges, the Cameroonian Bishop said, “we will try our best that the people have a sense of belonging, a sense of hope that they can with very little, reach out and make the best of it, and grow and be committed, and develop themselves.”
Two English speaking regions of Cameroon, the North West and the South West, plunged into conflict in 2016 after a protest by lawyers and teachers turned violent. An armed separatists’ movement claiming independence for the so-called republic of Ambazonia emerged following the government’s crackdown on protesters.
Since then, the conflict has led to the displacement of at least 679,000 people. More than 600,000 children have not been able to go to school in the two regions and more than 3,000 lives have been lost in the four-year conflict.
In an interview with ACI Africa in April, Bishop Nkuo said that COVID-19 pandemic has made the situation in Kumbo worse.
“Shuffling between two crises is no easy job. So, faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, the situation becomes worse,” Bishop Nkuo said during the April 27 interview.
In the September 8 interview with Radio Evangelium -Kumbo, the Cameroonian Prelate expressed the hope the crisis will soon come to an end.
“My prayer is that this crisis will be over. We see some glimmers of hope and I sincerely hope that things continue to improve and that whatever it takes, let those who are responsible for this crisis take the challenge and bring about peace in our land,” the Local Ordinary of Kumbo said.
He also expressed optimism that should the violence end, the people of Kumbo will be able to rebuild their lives.
“I see great resilience among the people in that once it is over, everything that has been destroyed will be rebuilt in very record time,” he said and continued, “I am very confident about that because I know they are very hardworking, very committed and very dedicated people. They have borne the brunt of this crisis with such great courage that I can only admire them.”
