YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon –  An irrepressible joy took hold of Christians of the Bamenda Archdiocese in Cameroon on December 2 following the release from separatist captivity of Father John Berinyuy Tatah.

Tatah is the Vice Chancellor of the PAX University Institute in Bamunka, a village in the town of Ndop. He was one of six Catholic priests abducted on November 15 when they were on their way to Ndop for the opening of the PAX University Institute.

Shortly after regaining his freedom, a video posted on Facebook shows the priest sharing details of his abduction and delivering a heartfelt appeal for a return to peace in the nation’s restive Anglophone regions.

“I was arrested with my brothers because the forces of La Republic accompanied us to Ndop for the opening of the university,” Tatah explains, apparently on the urging of his abductors.

“During the Mass, the Nuncio came to inaugurate the university in the war zone, and we say that we are very sorry that that happened, and that it will not happen again,” the priest said.

“We are praying that there should be dialogue to see to the solution of the Southern Cameroonian, and that there should be justice and peace, so that a lasting solution should be brought to these problems that we are facing,” he added.

The priest further called upon human rights groups, international bodies, and the Church to work towards restoring justice and peace by fostering “dialogue between brothers,” which he said was the only way for peace to return to the disturbed Anglophone regions of the predominantly French speaking Cameroon.

He specifically directed his appeal to Archbishop Andrew Fuanya Nkea of Bamenda and Pope Leo XIV, whom he urged to exercise their authority to ensure that the necessary dialogue happens and that justice and peace are achieved.

The release of the priest has been welcomed with joy across the archdiocese.

Nkea said on Dec. 2 that the priest endured 14 days of “pain, obscurity and confusion” during his captivity.

“Father John is back with us,” the archbishop said, and he thanked the Christian community for staying in prayer in an hour of need.

“The numerous phone calls, messages of love and assurances of your prayers and concern cannot be taken for granted,” he said.

Valentin Tameh, an executive member of the Catholic Men Association (CMA) of the Bamenda Archdiocese, told Crux that he received the news of the priest’s release with “a huge sigh of relief.”

Even as Christians celebrate the priests’ freedom, Tameh cannot escape the anxiety caused by their initial abduction.

“There’s this sinking gut feeling, the fact that we have lost it all,” he told Crux, referring to the fact that the separatist struggle has simply gone haywire.

“Gone are the days of pious conformism and/or passive goodwill, when everyone knew and respected no-go areas; when men of God were sacrosanct, and even the thought of gratuitous evil towards any fellow human being was unthinkable,” he said.

“Humanity, I fear, is careening precipitously, and our fall into a nearby bottomless abyss where chaos and atavism command will sooner rather than later become reality. That gun-toting youth can keep a Man of God hostage in the bushes for such a long spell of time with persons encouraging and cheering them on from different rostrums, while life goes on normally for other members of the community, is scary,” he added.

Kidnappings are endemic in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions, where separatists have particularly targeted clergy, students, and politicians.

Among the Catholic clergy abducted are Retired Archbishop Cornelius Fontem Esua of Bamenda, Bishop Michael Bibi of Buea and late Cardinal Christian Tume.

A September 2024 report by the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime and the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (Acled) indicates that 450 ransom kidnappings were recorded in the English-speaking regions of North-West and South-West Cameroon in 2023. The figure is more than double that of 2022, when around 200 kidnappings were documented.

ACLED analysts noted that dwindling finances from abroad was fuelling the kidnappings.

“In response to the reduced international financial support, separatist groups increasingly kidnap civilians to fund their operations,” the ACLED report states.

It is not clear if a ransom was paid for the newest release, but Nkea had made it clear that the Church won’t pay any ransom.