Cameroon’s Protracted Anglophone Crisis “progressively coming to an end”: Catholic Bishop

“Progressively, children are going to school. Progressively, those who left their villages and went out as internally displaced persons – some of them are going back to work on their farms and care for their crops,” Bishop Bibi told ACI Africa. 

“We still have situations of kidnapping and fighting, but when you look at it globally, I will say and repeat that progressively the Anglophone crisis is coming to an end,” he emphasized.

Bishop Michael Miabesue Bibi of Cameroon’s Catholic Diocese of Buea. Credit: ACI Africa

The Cameroonian Catholic Bishop, who has been at the helm of Buea Diocese since December 2019, first as Apostolic Administrator, and since February 2021 as the Local Ordinary attributed the progress to collaborative efforts between the government, the Church, and local communities. 

“The government has done a lot to solve the crisis. The Church has done a lot, and we will continue to work together. Fighting and killing each other will never resolve a problem,” Bishop Bibi said.

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He went on to advocate for unity and peacebuilding, urging all Cameroonians to act as one family to foster justice and reconciliation. 

Credit: ACI Africa

“We must work together as one family to ensure peace and justice. Only through unity can we live together as members of one nation,” Bishop Bibi said.

Cameroon’s English-speaking regions plunged into conflict in 2016 after a protest by lawyers and teachers turned violent. An armed movement of separatists claiming independence for the so-called republic of Ambazonia emerged following the government’s crackdown on protesters. 

School boycotts have become common in the Cameroonian region as have enforced moratoriums on public life known as "ghost towns".

Credit: ACI Africa

In his homily during the January 5 Eucharistic celebration that also marked the start of the 48th Annual Seminar of members of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon (NECC), Bishop Bibi lamented that “many lives have been lost, families destroyed, villages burned, and several churches affected” as a result of the crisis.

“Every day, we work to provide both spiritual and material support to those affected. We remain hopeful that this crisis will end and continue our tireless efforts for peace and justice in Cameroon,” he said.

Credit: ACI Africa

The Catholic Church leader, who started his Episcopal Ministry in March 2017 as Auxiliary Bishop of Cameroon’s Bamenda Catholic Archdiocese added,  “I take this opportunity to thank the Government of Cameroon and its security services for working day and night, sacrificing their lives for the common good. May God bless you.” 

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“The Church in the Diocese of Buea – its Priests, women, and men Religious, and Laity – will persist in its pastoral ministry, striving for the restoration of peace and justice in this part of the country,” Bishop Bibi said on January 5, the second day of the weeklong NECC Annual Seminar.  

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.