Cameroon: Separatists ‘Tired of Fighting’ and Open to Dialogue – Archbishop Nkea says

BUEA, PAV – His Grace Andrew Nkea Fuanya, Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Bamenda, in the North West region, says some separatists involved in the country’s nearly decade-long Anglophone conflict are increasingly tired of fighting and willing to consider dialogue, offering a fresh opening for efforts to end the violence.

Archbishop Andrew Nkea, speaking on DW’s Under The Baobab, said the Catholic Church was working to bring the different sides closer together, arguing that meaningful dialogue remained the most credible route to a lasting settlement.

The comments come after years of fighting between government forces and armed separatist groups in Cameroon’s North West and South West regions. The conflict, which began in 2016, has killed thousands, displaced communities and severely disrupted public services.

The Archbishop has previously called for dialogue between the government and separatists. In an interview with Vatican News following Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Cameroon in April, he said civil society and the Church had a role to play in bringing separatists and government representatives to the negotiating table.  

Pope Leo’s visit to Bamenda, the heart of Cameroon’s English-speaking crisis, also appears to have created an unusual moment of convergence. The Pope visited the city on 16 April and appealed for an end to the conflict, telling residents that the time for change was “today and not tomorrow”.

According to Nkea, the papal visit generated renewed hope among communities affected by the fighting and contributed to a rare ceasefire declared by separatist fighters.

A separatist alliance announced a three-day ceasefire around the Pope’s visit, allowing large crowds to gather in Bamenda. Bishop Michael Bibi of Buea described it at the time as the first such ceasefire by the alliance in a decade.

Nkea has described the development as significant because both sides appeared to respond positively to the Pope’s presence. He previously told Vatican News that the visit represented the first time in years that the government and separatists had effectively sent the same message to the population: to come out and welcome the Pope.

But Archbishop Nkea’s latest comments also point to the difficult question of how that temporary convergence can be transformed into a sustained peace process. The conflict has survived numerous calls for dialogue, while attempts to negotiate a settlement have repeatedly stalled. Civilians have borne much of the cost, with killings, kidnappings, attacks and disruption to livelihoods continuing across parts of the two regions.

Nkea’s emphasis on dialogue comes as the Church seeks to position itself as an intermediary capable of speaking to both sides. The Vatican has also placed peace and reconciliation at the centre of its engagement with Cameroon. During his Bamenda visit, Pope Leo met community and religious leaders and urged Cameroonians to reject resignation and work towards peace.

After almost a decade of violence, the question is no longer simply whether the parties can declare a ceasefire, but whether they can turn moments of calm into sustained negotiations capable of addressing the grievances that drove the conflict in the first place.