BAMENDA, Cameroon — 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.
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The separatists said Tuesday they will pause fighting for three days to allow safe travel for the pope, civilians and dignitaries.
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. She spoke to The Associated Press from Bamenda, the epicenter of the violence. “We want the pope to intercede for us. I strongly believe his coming will help heal my wounds.”
The pope will lead a peace meeting in the conflict zone
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.
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“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 U.S.-based Cameroonian activist and member of the Council for the Sovereignty of Cameroon, a civil society group.
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.
Priests have been targeted in the conflict
Father 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 U.N.’s World Food Program.
“My hope is that the pope touches the soft spot of our collective wounds,” said Yeeika Desmond Nangsinyuy, a spoken-word artist who uses his art to speak out against violence.
Nangsinyuy said he was abducted by separatists in 2024 and told to stop his performances. But he never did.
“I want him to speak directly to the pain of families torn apart by conflict, and to inspire renewed hope that peace is possible,” he said of Leo.
A mother describes the effects of the fighting
The separatist fighting has upended communities.
Bih said only two of her children remain in school. One lives with a friend to reduce the burden of taking care of them all. Others work on the farm or at construction sites, or wash people’s clothes to help support the family.
Including money from the vegetables she cultivates and sells, the family’s monthly income is the equivalent of about $53, barely enough to feed them.
Bih in 2024 abandoned physiotherapy and medicines for a stroke she suffered as she fled conflict multiple times. She relies on herbal remedies.
“I had dreamt of seeing my children become doctors, magistrates and so on,” she said quietly. “Now their future is uncertain.”
The children’s father, 60-year-old Ngwa Manases, is separated from her and also affected by the fighting. He was forced to quit his job as a Catholic missionary teacher because of the insecurity.
Their 9-year-old daughter, Lydiane, had to drop out of school to help take care of the other children.
“I miss school,” the girl said. She had wanted to become an accountant.
Bih said she hopes the pope’s visit will change all their lives.
“We believe he will be a turning point,” she said.
