Bishop Condemns Tribal Violence in Cameroon’s Sangmelima Township, Proposes Dialogue

“The spontaneous formation of last week's protests and the violence it gave rise to reminded us, as we tend to forget, that peace is never definitively achieved,” Bishop Zoa has stated in his letter and called on vigilance saying, “To protect itself from unpleasant surprises, the Diocese of Sangmelima reminds us that social peace must be the object of permanent vigilance.” 

“On the spiritual level, we must be vigilant in prayer,” the Bishop has emphasized and recalled the gospel message of prayer stating, “The Lord told us that there are evil spirits so we can only overcome them through prayer and fasting.” 

“The hatred and daily divisions that have become normal attitudes are signs that we are gradually entering the reign of the Divisor, that is, the Devil,” Bishop Zoa further expresses in his letter and adds, “God's grace, combined with the efforts of parish communities to live the universal fraternity in concrete terms, will succeed in freeing us from the grip of the forces of evil.”

At the level of the state, the Prelate has urged all government officials to work towards consolidating unity and to live up to their role of guaranteeing freedom, justice and the possibility of self-realization to all Cameroonians.  

He further explained that young people who are taking to the streets are blaming the government, “for what they see as its inability to ensure safety of people and their property and to guarantee them a future.”

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“What has emerged prominently in the news in recent years,” the Bishop thinks, “is that social demands take the form of ethnic disputes, because everyone has understood that inter-ethnic conflict is more feared than the unleashing of the poor.” 

“Tribes will be less prominent when everyone is assured of being safe, in a free country, with equal opportunities for success,” Bishop Zoa has stated in his letter and added, “The concerns of everyday life, however legitimate they may be, must not stifle this voice of conscience and leave us in the power of the primary instincts of violence.”

Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.