Displaying items by tag: Cameroon

Thursday, 09 November 2023 21:30

Cameroon: 20+ killed by English-speaking separatists

On 6 November more than twenty people, including women and children, were killed in an attack by English-speaking separatists in western Cameroon. Since the end of 2016, this area (populated mainly by the English-speaking minority) has seen a deadly conflict between pro-independence armed groups and the security forces. Each side has been accused of crimes against civilians by international NGOs and the UN. The government said that the ‘terrorists’ attacked using firearms and traditional weapons, and burnt down around ten houses. A resident thought the attack was probably made on that day because it was the anniversary of Paul Biya's accession to power as president; he added that a meeting of the RDPC (the all-powerful presidential party) had been scheduled to take place nearby. Cameroon, which has a population of nearly 30 million, has been ruled with an iron fist for 41 years by Biya.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 30 March 2023 22:04

Cameroon: Bible translator killed

Due to ongoing conflict in Cameroon between separatist groups and the government, as well as attacks by Islamic organisations, Bible translators are in persistent danger. Wuwih William Gemuh supervised Bible translation work in the Mfumte languages, in northwest Cameroon, facilitating workshops choosing words for dictionaries in a number of languages. When returning home from a workshop he was kidnapped and later killed by armed men. Wycliffe Bible Translators’ executive director says Bible translators are working in dangerous places because these are the most inaccessible locations both geographically and spiritually, where God’s word has yet to be translated. For Bible translators across vast swathes of Asia and Africa, this is the reality of their life and work. Please join us in prayer for all those affected by Wuwih’s death: his immediate and extended family, and his colleagues in the Mfumte project team, who have lost one of their leaders.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 09 June 2022 23:55

Muslims’ dreams of bright shining man

Kerry worked in a Christian hospital in sub-Saharan Africa as a physiotherapist to bring healing and hope to people largely unreached with the Christian message. Based in north Cameroon, she became part of a multinational (and non-denominational) team offering medical - and sometimes miraculous - solutions to the Fulbe (also known as Fulani) tribe. A gentle, gracious and unhurried people, the Fulbe are mostly Muslim. But many are now following Jesus, and they do not always first hear about him through the missionaries. Extended family groups, even across the border into Chad, have come together after having dreams of Jesus, asking Kerry and her colleagues to teach them more about the faith. A young man called Mohammed, whom Kerry introduced to Jesus four years ago, has since visited several of these groups, feeding their hunger to know more about this wonderful person who appeared to them in their sleep.

Published in Praise Reports
Thursday, 04 March 2021 20:57

Naomi’s story

Naomi and other refugees ate edible leaves while fleeing Boko Haram. She was desperate. ‘I had only God, and I talked to Him. He gave me the strength I needed.’ Naomi, her children and several thousand other refugees hid on a mountain for two years before Boko Haram chased them, with guns and bombs, to Cameroon. After leaving Cameroon, she found a camp for internally displaced people, but again they were told to leave. ‘I did not know where to go, so I cried to God.’ Next, Voice of the Martyrs workers found her - an answer to her prayers. They helped her children start school, and helped them move into their own house. ‘Since the passing of my husband, God has kept me. The attack only made me stronger in my faith.’

Published in Praise Reports
Thursday, 20 August 2020 20:48

Cameroon: Bible translator killed

Bible translator and literacy teacher Pastor Christopher Tanjoh was killed on 7 August following an attack in his village. Last year two other Bible translators in Cameroon died in similar incidents. He bled to death after being shot in the leg, leaving behind a wife and seven children. Wycliffe’s executive director said, ‘This tragic news reminds us how much the gospel message is urgently needed in Cameroon. Until people are transformed by Jesus, there will be no lasting peace. We continue to work with local partners to translate the Bible so that every Cameroonian can read the Bible in the language that speaks to them best.’

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 12 December 2019 22:57

North Cameroon: rampages by militants

Adults were murdered, children were kidnapped, and people robbed in Boko Haram attacks on mainly-Christian villages in the far north of Cameroon. The army has difficulty combatting militants in an area dotted with small, isolated villages linked by poor roads where militants strike and then escape via main roads back to Nigeria. On 1 December gunmen attacked mourners at a funeral in Kotserehé, killing four and wounding three. The following night, they murdered three and wounded another when they swarmed into Zangola, stealing food and clothing; they similarly looted Yagoua. In Mbreche, militants kidnapped 21 young people aged between 12 and 21; next they attacked Tahert, stealing a motorbike and wounding a girl. Those abducted will be forced to become Boko Haram ‘soldiers’ and fight for the extremists. In November a Christian boy was hacked to death for resisting militants’ attempt to abduct him as a ‘soldier’.

Published in Worldwide
Friday, 04 October 2019 09:08

Cameroon: Boko Haram cut off women’s ears

Boko Haram terrorists abducted three Christian women from their homes in a night-time raid on a mainly Christian town in the far north of Cameroon. They dragged their victims to the outskirts of the town, where they sliced off one ear from each victim. They then released the women, threatening that they would return in the future. The injured women were taken to a clinic about 160 miles away, where they received medical treatment. Boko Haram, operating in the region surrounding Lake Chad, has stepped up attacks on Christian villages in the north. Some villages have been repeatedly targeted, and Christians taken away into captivity. Pray that the cruel extremists will be brought to justice. May the extremism that is now rife in West Africa diminish. Pray that love will conquer hate, and that peace will reign.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 05 September 2019 21:36

Cameroon: Bible translator killed

Bible translator Angus Abraham Fung, working with the Aghem Bible translation project in Cameroon, was among seven people said to have been killed in an overnight attack. His wife’s arm was cut off, according to a ministry source. The attack was carried out by suspected Fulani herdsmen in Cameroon’s violence-ridden Anglophone region where separatists are fighting for independence. Fung, in his sixties, had worked for years on a New Testament translation in the Aghem language. Although it was completed in 2016 and over 3,000 copies have been published, distribution has not happened because of the war in the region. Pray for the swift recovery of his wife and for God’s comfort to all who mourn the death of the seven men. Pray also for the success of all literacy efforts to bring the word of God to people whose language has never been written down before, both in Cameroon and across the nations.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 01 August 2019 23:16

Cameroon: Christian majority flee Boko Haram

Bishop Bruno Ateba of Maroua-Mokolo said that over 100,000 Christian Cameroonians have been made refugees within their own country as a result of a rise in attacks by Boko Haram. 70% of the population is Christian. The bishop said tourism has ceased and life has come to a standstill because of the terrorist crisis. Suicide bombings in Maroua, in the far north, killed over 30 people and injured hundreds. The recent suicide attacks were carried out by two young girls, forced by Boko Haram to conceal bombs under their burkas and detonate their weapons in public places. In an appeal to international governments, Bishop Bruno said, ‘Help us to achieve peace. The international community has all the resources to put an end to the terrorism of Boko Haram.’ In a letter to all the faithful of his diocese, Bishop Bruno called them to pray and be watchful.

Published in Worldwide
Friday, 04 January 2019 09:13

Countries needing prayer in 2019

Cameroon’s president Paul Biya said he wants dialogue with separatist elements to end the ongoing security crisis in the country’s English-speaking regions. But in the same breath, he threatened, ‘If my appeal to warmongers remains unheeded, the defence and security forces will be instructed to neutralise them. I am aware of the difficulties the rebels are putting citizens in.’ Criminal gangs are exploiting the chaos to expand their activities. See http://www.africanews.com/2018/12/31/cameroon-president-ready-for-dialogue-over-anglophone-crisis/ Pray also for peace in Venezuela, for the thousands who have fled, and the families of those killed. 90% of Venezuelans live in poverty. Malnutrition is rampant. Once-eradicated diseases have returned. 3 million have fled to Colombia. Outsiders say President Maduro is a control freak, and Venezuelans need a revolution. Pray that Mr Maduro will listen to wisdom that will bring relief to citizens. See https://www.forbes.com/sites/francescoppola/2018/12/31/why-venezuelas-hyperinflation-problem-is-so-difficult-to-solve/#660ea3c6373c For other urgent international challenges, click the ‘More’ link.

Published in Worldwide
Page 1 of 2