Cameroon hopes pope’s visit brings healing
Caro Bih says she was once kidnapped, chained, and held for ransom by the separatist fighters who have clashed for years with government soldiers in parts of Cameroon. Several relatives have been killed, jailed, or abducted. Her family home was razed.
Now she says her hopes for peace rest with Pope Leo XIV.
She is among millions in Cameroon anticipating his arrival on Wednesday as part of his four-nation Africa tour. It comes as the Central African nation is still reeling from a disputed presidential election that left dozens dead as the world’s oldest president, 93-year-old Paul Biya, extended his long rule.
The papal visit with its call for peace is expected to highlight the separatist conflict in Cameroon’s two Anglophone regions. Thousands of people have been killed in what humanitarian groups call one of the world’s most neglected conflicts.
The separatists said on Tuesday they would pause fighting for three days to allow safe travel for the Pope, civilians, and dignitaries.
Moment of national unity
Officials have framed Leo’s visit as a moment of national unity for the country, which is ruled by Francophone authorities and divided along ethnic lines.
“We have been praying ceaselessly for the conflict to end, to no avail,” said Bih, a 52-year-old mother of six and a nurse by training. “We want the Pope to intercede for us. I strongly believe his coming will help heal my wounds.”
Cameroon’s western regions have been plagued by fighting since English-speaking separatists launched a rebellion in 2017 with the stated goal of breaking away from the French-speaking majority and establishing an independent state.
The Pope will preside over a peace meeting on Thursday in Bamenda with community leaders and celebrate Mass at the local airport.
Critics of the government worry the Pope’s visit will be seen as an endorsement of the Biya administration, which has been accused of committing abuses in the conflict and not being open to dialogue.
“I would caution the Pope against allowing the regime to exploit his presence to mask the pain of profound historical injustices with empty appeals to peace and unity,” said Benjamin Akih, a US-based Cameroonian activist and member of the Council for the Sovereignty of Cameroon, a civil society group.
Evangelical mission
Eric Chinje, who leads the Project Cameroon diaspora democracy group, said the Pope might steer clear of trying to admonish those determined to stay in power at all costs, referring to Biya’s long rule.
“The visit has more to do with the Pope’s global evangelical mission than with the fate and future of Cameroon,” Chinje said.
The Rev. John Berinyuy Tatah, a Catholic priest, was kidnapped by separatists in November alongside five fellow clergy and held two weeks in the bush, “cut off from the world.”
He said he believes the Pope will sow a seed that could heal Cameroon if nurtured.
“The cry of every Cameroonian is for the Pope to help us to mediate for dialogue in the ongoing crisis,” said Tatah, who plans to attend a Pope-led Mass.
Cameroon also battles Boko Haram extremists who carry out attacks from across the border with Nigeria, often targeting military posts and villages.
More than 3.3 million people affected by conflict in Cameroon are struggling to find enough food, with families skipping meals, selling livestock, or taking on debt to survive, according to the UN’s World Food Program.
