SW News: Catholic bishops of the Anglophone region in Cameroon have condemned the attack on a church and the abduction of five priests, a sister, and two lay persons in the western part of the country on September 16.

Following the arson at St Mary’s Catholic Church in Nchang in Mamfe Diocese, the Catholic bishops of Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province released a statement stating that they were “shocked” to hear about the incident.

The bishops “strongly condemn all these attacks against the Church and her ministers and we appeal to those who have taken the priests, the nun, and the Christians in Nchang to release them without delay.”

“We insist on this because this act has now crossed the red line and we must say that ‘enough is enough’,” read the statement. Cameroon is going through an “Anglophone Crisis” in which armed separatists from the English-speaking regions are fighting against the Francophone government. The civil war has already killed thousands and displaced 500,000 since 2014.

In the statement, the Bishops said that this act was completely unprecedented and, as of now, no concrete reason has been given for this heinous act against the house of God and the messengers of God. The attack has not yet been claimed by any group, but they are often done by separatists and end with hostages being released after ransom demands or negotiations with local leaders.

The North West and South West regions of Cameroon have witnessed a bloody battle between anglophone separatists and the government for years.
English speakers make up a majority of the region’s population in predominantly French-speaking Cameroon, which President Paul Biya has ruled since 1982. The 89-year-old leader has resisted calls for greater autonomy in the regions and responded with a crackdown on the separatists. In 2020, numerous terrorist attacks and government reprisals have led to bloodshed across the country.