Cameroon Anglophone Armed Conflict Still Affecting Clergy, Church

By Jude Atemkeng

Going by international law, in times of conflict, churches, schools, hospitals, are no go areas for belligerents.

Since 2016 when the conflict escalated in the two English speaking minority parts of Cameroon, known as the North West and South West Regions of the country, churches have been attacked, some religious authorities forced to abandon the pulpit and others dragged to court. 

Others have simply been killed by either Cameroon soldiers or what is referred to as Ambazonian armed, non-state actors. More often, the conflicting parties trade accusations and responsibilities over the onslaught on the clergy and the church.

On July 13, 2018, a Ghanaian Missionary, Apostle Isaac Attah of the Destiny Impact Ministry in Accra was gunned down by military men in Batibo in the Northwest Region of Cameroon. 

Witness said they saw the Cameroon military kill the pastor and other Christians whom the government forces believed were opposing forces, without any investigations. The pastor is said to have travelled to Cameroon from Ghana to run his own ministry.

On Sunday August 12, 2018, His Royal Majesty Dr. Ofonda Motia Esoh Itoh Stephen, paramount ruler of the Balondos and traditional ruler of the Ekondo Titi area, in the Southwest Region, was pulled out of the Baptist Church there and killed by separatists. 

He was accused of supporting the Cameroonian government by refusing to call his subjects to obey lockdowns instituted by the non-state actors or separatists. 

His death caused the then Pastor of the Ekondo Titi Baptist church, Reverend Samson Enongene to run away for his life, for fear the separatists may come after him simply because the Pastor allowed the late traditional ruler to worship in his congregation. Rev Enongene is reported to have later resigned as Pastor.

Two months later, precisely on October 31, 2018, an American Missionary, Charles Wesco, was killed in Bamenda on his way to the market. Cameroon’s Minister of Defence Joseph Beti Assomo in a statement issued same day, accused the separatists of killing Wesco and claimed that the national defence forces had killed four of Wesco’s killers. 

Wesco had just moved with his family to Bambili on the outskirts of Bamenda.

  Wesco's Family

Kidnappings, Threats on Religious Authorities

Apart from killing religious authorities, many of them have been kidnapped and persecuted by both armed separatists and government forces. Sometime in November 2020, the Archbishop of the Douala Archdiocese, the venerated Cardinal Christian Tumi and dozens of Christians were kidnapped on their way from Bamenda to Kumbo in the North West Region. Bishop George Nkuo, of the Kumbo Archdiocese where the Cardinal was heading to, pleaded and the Cardinal was eventually released after spending days in captivity.

Several other men of God including Reverend Father Sylvester Ngarbah Nsah from the Northwestern village of Vekovi village have been persecuted by the government forces.

On June 4,2021 Rev. Ngarbah was arrested and beaten after he was accused of cooperating with separatists just simply because some of them are said to have been worshiping in his parish.

In nearby Jakiri village still in Kumbo subdivision, the Pastor of the Abakwa congregation of the Apostolic Church of Cameroon, Rev Aghaindum Naptali Angyie was forced to stop his Sunday February 13, 2022, mass, after soldiers stormed the church accusing him of preaching against what was termed governments inaction to try and resolve the almost six-year conflict. Rev Aghaindum Naptali Angyie earlier saw one of his much-announced crusades banned by the Cameroon government. He is said to have been living in fear of his life since the ban of his crusade and later abandoned his Jakiri congregation. Jakiri remains one of the zones badly hit by the conflict and an area where the Cameroon government forces and armed separatists often have open confrontations.

Rev Aghaindum Naptali Angyie 

Other Pastors in Ekona, like Rev Samuel Mboke of the Arc of God Church. are said to have escaped to Nigeria for safety after their church house in the Lelou neighbourhood was attacked still in February 2022.

Before the direct attack on religious authorities in both Anglophone regions, in 2017, top religious authorities and managers of private mission schools had been dragged to court. 

They included the Bishops of the Bamenda Provincial Episcopal Conference, BAPEC, Mgrs. George Nkuo, the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, PCC, Rt. Rev. Samuel Fonki Forba and the Executive Secretary of the Cameroon Baptist Convention, CBC, Rev. Godwill Ncham Chiatoh.

Catholic Priests Also Targeted

They were accused by the government of Cameroon of respecting orders from separatists to close their mission schools for the 2016/2017 academic year. 

The decision by religious authorities follows threats from separatists to burn down the schools.

Church Must Speak Out

Despite the pressure mounted by the belligerents in the Anglophone Cameroon crisis, it is evident that religious authorities who speak out against the violence and killings are persecuted.  

A civil society organisation, the Ecumenical Forum for Peace and Justice in Cameroon has continuously condemned the attacks on religious leaders but seems powerless. 

It is however important that despite the attacks and persecution of religious leaders, they should remain apolitical and continue to speak out against atrocities committed by the belligerents in the conflict.

Reverend Father Humphrey Tatah Mbui, the director of communications at the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon’s Catholic Bishops remained very worried about the faith of Pastors and Priests in the Anglophone Regions.

 

“The church has been caught up in between the separatist fighters on the one hand, and the Cameroon military on the other hand,” Eboka said in a statement issued in September 2021. “The threats on the lives of priests, the attack on priests should be stopped, he said.”

“The church preaches peace. The church teaches that you cannot have peace without justice and without the truth,” Mbui said. “The church must keep on insisting on that justice and truth in and out of season.  And when the church will speak the truth, often it does not sit well with one or the other side. Many parishes have been closed or they are not operating as they should.” he regretted.

The crisis began in 2016 with protests over government appointments of French speakers to government posts and imposing the use of French in courts, schools, and administrative centres in the English-speaking regions.  

It should be recalled that Rev Bertin Kisob a well-known Bamenda clergy, who spoke openly against atrocities committed by government forces is being detained at the Kondengui prison in Yaounde since 2016. 

It is as if the government is looking for every means to silent the vocal clergymen. In some cases, family members of the said clergymen are targeted.

After targeting lawyers, teachers, journalists, nurses, political activists, it is increasingly being observed that religious authorities, especially pastors and priests who speak out against human rights violations committed by either government forces or separatists are the other victims.