MAMFE AMBAZONIAN FREEDOM FIGHTERS INSTRUCT POPE FRANCIS

Conditions For The Release Of Priests Abducted In Nchang Unveiled

As earlier reported by UNDAUNTED, on the evening hours of Friday September 16, 2022, St Mary Catholic Parish in Nchang village, MAMFE, was burnt down with eight faithfuls kidnapped: 5 Priests, 1 Nun and 2 Lay Faithfuls.

These persons were taken to an unknown destination and the perpetrators were not known. Rt Rev. Mgr Aloysius Fonfong ABANGALO, the Bishop of Mamfe in his statement after the arson and kidnap said it was orchestrated by Christians of that Parish who sons of Nchang village. Archbishop Andrew Nkea, President of the Bamenda Provincial Episcopal Conference in a communique of Saturday September 17, simple styled the perpetrators as gunmen.

A letter addressed to Pope Francis has cleared the air on who the perpetrators are. Freedom fighters in Mamfe carried out the act, and they have laid down conditions that should be met for the release of the eight kidnapped. It is possible for the church to openly denounce the activities carried out against the people of Southern Cameroons?

Here is the letter signed by one pseudo General Iroko and addressed to Pope Francis.

"Pope Francis

Bishop Bibi Michael of Buea

Bishop Nkea Michale of Bamenda

Bishop Aloysius Fondong of Mamfe

Parishioners of the Catholic Church

Dear Pope

We greet you in the name of the Lord. We are certain you have heard about the seizure of some of your church members in Nchang, under the Mamfe Diocese. This is due to some of the grievances we will list below.

Your failure as the head of the Catholic church to empathize and condemn the repression, oppression, wanton genocide and displacement of the Amazonian people.

The meeting of your archbishop with the head of the military of the republic of Cameroon who has been killing our people, burning our homes, raping and molesting our women and children. In all of these, you have never made a statement. Such silence is complicit to such diabolical acts. In the face of oppression, silence is complicity. You have taken the side of the oppression.

If our memories serve us well. Jesus came “… to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.” Have you not heard, and did you not know that we are dying? Have you not heard and did you not know that we are being oppressed? The sky has been our only covering, and the grass has been our only beds for the past five to six years now.

For that reason, we don’t have too much time to wallow in oppression. We are not in any way organizing a pity party, but we want a swift response; otherwise, God should be ready to receive his own. Our conditions are thus:

  1. We need you to make an open acknowledgment of our struggle and suffering.
  2. We need the archbishop to apologize for holding a meeting with the oppressive general of la repulique du Cameroun to plan for our demise.
  3. We will require a prisoner swap with the release of our Nera 10.

Please consider this our last letter to you. If you are ready to talk, we will assign someone we trust to talk for us.

Until then, we thank you so much.

For the Freedom Fighters.

General Iroko of the Ambazonian people."

The kidnappers after the incident demanded the sum of FCFA 30 Million for the release of the faithfuls. The Catholic church via the Archbishop of Bamenda outrightly made it clear that no franc would be paid as ransom. The Pope equally made a statement calling on the unconditional release of his Christians.