The Catholic Church of Cameroon confirms the release of nine religious kidnapped in September

Oct. 24 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Catholic Church of Cameroon has confirmed the release of nine religious, kidnapped on September 16 in an English-speaking region in the southwest of the country and of whom a video has been released this weekend.

As detailed in a statement by the bishop of the town of Mamfe, Aloysius Abangalo Fondong, the nine hostages – five priests, a Nigerian nun and three lay people – were released on Saturday, although the news has not been confirmed until Monday. .

“I announce with great joy the release of the nine kidnapped people,” said the cleric, who, however, has condemned the kidnapping of religious and faithful by armed men in exchange for money, according to the Cameroonian portal ActuCameroun.

“Depriving the freedom of our brothers and sisters to earn money at any cost is inhumane and must be abandoned by anyone who gets involved in it,” the Cameroonian bishop stressed.

Already at the weekend a video was published in which the hostages were observed alive, a news that was celebrated at that time by the communication director of the Episcopal Conference of Cameroon, the Reverend Tatah Humphrey Mbuy.

According to Mbuy, the negotiations for his release had been complicated by the demands of the kidnappers who, after asking for money, demanded that Pope Francis speak. “But what does the Pope have to do with this matter?” the religious questioned.

The nine were kidnapped on the outskirts of the city of Mamfe, in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon, by a group of fifty armed individuals about whom no further information has emerged. Those attackers set fire to the church before leaving.

Cameroon’s Anglophone regions — Northwest and Southwest — have been rocked by conflict following the repression of separatist movements following Ambazonia’s self-proclamation of independence on October 1, 2017.

The previous year, this area -another part of the British colonies in Africa but which decided to join French Cameroon- was the scene of peaceful protests to demand greater autonomy or independence, arguing discrimination by the central authorities, also in language topics.

Since then, armed groups have proliferated and support for the separatists, until then quite marginal, has increased. The government has responded with a harsh crackdown, with human rights organizations accusing the security forces of committing atrocities.