The Diocese of Mamfe has ordered thanksgiving prayers for the release on Saturday of nine local parishioners who were kidnapped in September.
They were released on October 22.
Bishop Aloysius Fondong Abangalo of Mamfe said in a statement to the diocese on October 23: “I urge each of you to recite ten decades of the rosary in thanksgiving to God for the safe return of our kidnapped brothers and sisters.”
“I am grateful to all those who joined us in praying for the safety and release of our brothers and sisters,” he stated, adding, “Words cannot adequately express my thanks to all those who assisted us in negotiating for their safety and release.”
On September 16, unidentified gunmen assaulted the St. Mary parish in Nchang, Southwest Region, Cameroon. Nine individuals were kidnapped, and parish buildings, including the church, were torched.
Fathers Elias Okorie, Barnabas Ashu, Cornelius Jingwa, Job Francis Nwobegu, Emmanuel Asaba, Sister Jacinta C. Udeagha, Nkem Patrick Osang (an assistant catechist), Blanche Bright, and Mme. Kelechukwu were abducted by the attackers.
Abangalo added in his statement announcing their release, “Permit me to take this opportunity to commend your collective prayer efforts.”
“I take this occasion to once again condemn in the clearest possible terms the act of church desecration and to denounce the need for the promotion of human dignity.”
The Cameroonian bishop stated, “Taking away the freedom of our fellow brothers and sisters in order to generate money at whatever cost is inhumane, and those who indulge in such behavior should be stopped.”
“For those who make categorical or implicit statements that fuel such activities, I suppose it is time to reconsider your attitude and ensure that the dignity of the human being is protected in every possible way,” he continued.
The release of the nine abductees occurred days after a social media video surfaced showing them pleading with Abangalo to gain their freedom.
Abangalo stated on October 24 that a Mass of thanksgiving for the release of the captives would be celebrated the following day at the Mamfe church.
The fire attack on St. Mary parish is one of the most recent occurrences related to the Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon.
The disagreement between the English-speaking and French-speaking regions of Cameroon is the source of the crisis. The region was a German colony in the late 19th century, but with the German Empire’s loss in World War I, the territory was partitioned between British and French mandates. In 1961, the mandates merged to form an independent Cameroon.
There is currently a separatist movement in the formerly British Southern Cameroons’ Southwest and Northwest Regions.
Since 2016, when the Anglophone community of Cameroon began protesting for the return of federalism, Cameroon has been experiencing ongoing unrest.
Secessionist militants in the English-speaking part of Cameroon have also advocated violence against government authorities and began attacking military troops in 2017.