A former agrarian colony of the United Kingdom, France and Germany, Cameroon was transformed by the discovery of oil in the 1970s. President Paul Biya, in power since 1982, has yet to deliver a state where rule of law is respected, pluralism flourishes, and freedom of expression and assembly are observed. The far north of the country is one of the remaining strongholds of the militant Islamist forces of Boko Haram, and radicalisation is spreading in that region. Elsewhere, the government has cracked down in response to protests over government policies, and the country is dealing with spillover effects of the sectarian civil war in neighbouring Central African Republic.
Cameroonians killed in Boko Haram attacks
Boko Haram is suspected of killing at least 16 people and burning down 60 homes in villages on Cameroon’s northern border with Nigeria, close to where the militants still hold positions. Esaje Djewed, a witness, told World Watch Monitor that there were some Christians among the dead. Another witness, Maina Gabriel, […]
Polish cleric, 15 hostages, released
The Cameroonian army says it has freed Polish Catholic priest Rev. Mateusz Dziedzic from his kidnappers. The priest’s captors say they voluntarily released Dziedzic and 15 other hostages as a goodwill gesture in hopes of political negotiations. Either way, the six-week hostage ordeal is over and the former hostages are […]
Cameroon’s churches struggle to cope with Boko Haram spillover
The United Nations camp for Nigerian refugees in Mokolo, norhtern Cameroon, in July.World Watch Monitor Northern Cameroon is more than ever in the sights of Boko Haram, as details of atrocities committed by the radical Islamic sect from neighboring Nigeria continue to emerge. The militant sect, which now controls […]
Cameroon pastor among 25 killed as Deputy Prime Minister’s wife kidnapped
At least 25 people were killed in Cameroon, among them a church leader, as militants carried out two attacks in the far north of Cameroon at the end of July. In one attack in the town of Kolofata, the wife of the Deputy Prime Minister and her maid were kidnapped, […]
Catholic hostages ‘freed in Cameroon’
A Canadian nun, Gilberte Bussiere, 75, and two Italian priests Giampaolo Marta, 47 and Gianantonio Allegri, 57, have been freed, according to officials. The three clerics, from the diocese of Vicenza in the northeast of Italy were taken hostage on the night of 4 April after a group of armed men […]
Christian and Muslim clerics pledge to tackle insecurity in N. Cameroon
About 40 Christian and Muslim leaders met in Maraoua, Cameroon on April 23-24, to promote a culture of peace and tolerance between members of different religious communities.World Watch Monitor The focus of the search for the missing Nigerian girls has moved across the Nigerian borders – to Cameroon and […]
Canadian nun and two priests abducted in Cameroon
The two priests Giampaolo Marta, 47, and Gianantonio Allegri, 57, in a classroom.Courtesy of Vicenza Diocese, Italy A Canadian nun and two Italian priests have been kidnapped by armed men in northern Cameroon, a region which serves as a base for Nigeria’s radical Islamist group Boko Haram. The Canadian […]
Freed priest returns to France
Georges Vandenbeusch, the French priest held hostage for nearly seven weeks in Cameroon, returned to France on New Year’s Day. President Francois Hollande greeted the 42-year-old cleric at an Air Force base near Paris early on Jan. 1, after France Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius received him in the Cameroon capital of Yaounde. The […]
Nigeria’s Boko Haram strikes again in Cameroon
In April last year, churches were targeted by suspected Boko Haram militants. Some victims had their throats cut, while others were beaten to death or burned alive. Here is one of the survivors, whose name is being withheld to protect his security.Cameroon Human Rights Monitoring A missionary has been […]
French priest ‘kidnapped’ by Nigeria’s Boko Haram in Cameroon
A French priest abducted in northern Cameroon is said to be in the hands of Boko Haram. “I can confirm that the French priest is in the hands of Mujahideen [fighters] from Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad [Boko Haram’s Arabic name], who carried out the operation that was co-ordinated with Ansaru,” an […]