Pope Leo XIV arrived in Cameroon on Wednesday as part of his four-nation Africa tour, with plans to lead a peace meeting in Bamenda on Thursday. Bamenda airport was renovated for the pope's visit after being shut since 2019 due to the separatist insurgency. English-speaking separatists in Cameroon launched a rebellion in 2017 with the goal of establishing an independent state, a conflict that has killed thousands of people in the country's Anglophone regions. Caro Bih, a nurse and mother of six, described being once kidnapped, chained, and held for ransom by separatist fighters, with several relatives killed, jailed, or abducted. Rev. John Berinyuy Tatah, a Catholic priest, was kidnapped by separatists in November alongside five fellow clergy and held two weeks in the bush.
The separatists announced on Tuesday they will pause fighting for three days to allow safe travel for the pope, civilians, and dignitaries. In a speech in Bamenda, the pope criticized 'tyrants' ransacking the world and those who manipulate religion for military, economic, and political gain. In a mass at Bamenda airport, he criticized the ongoing exploitation and plunder of Africa. In a speech at the presidential palace, the pope appealed to Cameroon's leaders to examine their conscience and tackle corruption and rights abuses.
The visit has more to do with the pope’s global evangelical mission than with the fate and future of Cameroon.
Cameroon's President Paul Biya is 93 years old and extended his long rule in a disputed presidential election that left dozens dead. Critics worry the pope's visit will be seen as an endorsement of the Biya administration, which has been accused of abuses in the conflict. According to The Independent - Main, Eric Chinje, leader of the Project Cameroon diaspora democracy group, described the pope's visit as having more to do with his global evangelical mission than with the fate and future of Cameroon. Chinje also suggested 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 pope's remarks could deepen the rift between the Trump administration and the pontiff.