There is a Catholic school among the schools attacked in recent weeks in the southwestern region of Cameroon. On February 8 and 11, armed groups burned down two schools, respectively the public primary school of Molyko in Buea and Queen of Rosary Catholic college in Mamfe. These two incidents are the latest of a series of attacks on students, educational staff, and school premises, which have deprived more than 700,000 students of their right to adequate and safe education in the Northwest and Southwest regions.
The English-speaking regions of the north-west and south-west of Cameroon have been in the throes of a five-year conflict to separate themselves from the rest of the country, with a French-speaking majority, and form a new nation called Ambazonia by the separatists. The two regions belong to the ecclesiastical province of Bamenda, whose Bishops in a statement last week, observed: “with deep sorrow and regret the deterioration of the socio-political situation that has been going on for a long time in the regions of the North West and South West”.
The Bishops expressed “solidarity with the suffering, the oppressed, the displaced and refugees” and said they will continue to “condemn violent methods of resolving disputes because violence usually leads to greater suffering and “those who use the sword will die by the sword”. The Bishops affirmed that they share “the pains and anxieties, joys and hopes of their people” and invoked “our Lady of Lourdes, to intercede for all our sick brothers and sisters and for all of us in our search for a lasting justice and peace”.
At least 4,000 people have died in the conflict and more than a million were forced to flee their homes, according to UN estimates. 54% of the displaced are women and children are 60% of the total displaced population; while the elderly represent 10% of the total.
