Catholic Bishops in Cameroon Condole with Presbyterians Following Recent Church Attack

Cases of violence, kidnappings and killings are reportedly on the rise in Cameroon's troubled English-Speaking regions.

On August 20, a seven-year-old pupil at St. Theresa’s Catholic Primary School in Cameroon’s Kumbo Diocese was killed by a stray bullet during a crossfire between Cameroonian military and militants near the learning institution.

Last week, Catholic Bishops in Cameroon’s Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province renewed their appeal for an end to the protracted conflict in the country’s Anglophone regions.

In a statement issued August 22, members of the Bamenda Provincial Episcopal Conference (BAPEC) regretted that “there is yet a lot of violence, insecurity, kidnappings, torture, and senseless killings, sometimes of innocent people and children” and urged all warring parties to stop the ongoing violence.

They appealed to all armed factions “to stop violence with immediate effect and work towards a more pacific resolution of this conflict.”

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In their August 25 collective statement signed by NECC President, Bishop Abraham Kome, the Catholic Bishops in Cameroon “invite Cameroonians not to give in to violence and become familiar with this devastating crisis in the North-West and South-West Regions.”

“We urge Catholic Christians and people of goodwill to pray and work for peace among brothers (and sisters),” they say.

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.