“Violence does not change anything”: Catholic Archbishop Condemns Post-election Protests in Cameroon

Douala, 30 October, 2025 / 11:47 PM

Archbishop Andrew Fuanya Nkea of the Catholic Archdiocese of Bamenda in Cameroon has condemned the violence that broke out in parts of the country following the announcement of the results of the October 12 Presidential election in the Central African nation.

In his homily during Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica on the fifth day of a National Pilgrimage to Rome, Archbishop Nkea cautioned citizens against allowing political grievances to spiral into violence.

“Violence does not change anything. Prayer is what can transform our circumstances,” the President of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon (NECC) said during the Wednesday, October 28 Eucharistic celebration.

On Monday, October 27, Cameroon’s Constitutional Council confirmed the re-election of President Paul Biya, Africa’s second-longest-serving head of State rivalled only by President Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea.

The official results showed Biya winning the October 12 election by 53.66 percent of the total votes, against 35.19 percent for opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary, Reuters reported.

The Reuters report further indicated that supporters of opposition candidate Tchiroma, armed with sticks and stones, blocked off roads with debris and burning tyres in the central African country's commercial capital Douala.

“Police fired tear gas at crowds who wore masks or tried to cover their faces with clothing. In other parts of the city, streets that normally buzzed with motorbikes were deserted,” the Reuters report further said.

In his October 28 homily on the Feast of St. Jude Thaddeus, Archbishop Nkea urged sincerity in prayer to St. Jude, widely invoked as the patron of desperate and hopeless situations.

“The situation is desperate. Young people are frustrated. Young people are not seeing a future,” the Cameroonian Catholic Archbishop said.

Archbishop Nkea reminded pilgrims that their presence in Rome is not accidental, but providential.

“It is God Himself who has chosen you to come here, to make this pilgrimage. We are ambassadors sent by our country to pray for peace,” he said.

Archbishop Nkea urged the pilgrims to entrust Cameroon’s crisis to St. Jude’s intercession, insisting that the saint will not abandon a nation crying out for stability.

“Only God knows what He is doing. Let us put everything in the hands of St. Jude. He will not leave us alone,” he said.

Archbishop Nkea implored, “May God give us peace in our hearts and peace in our country.”

President Biya is the world’s oldest Head of State having served since 1982 in the Central African nation, where Presidents have a seven-year mandate.

Constitutional amendments that the 92-year-old President’s party, the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM), spearheaded in 2008, abolishing the two-term presidential limit, brought about his “extraordinarily long tenure”. 

After the presidential polls, the opposition contender, Tchiroma, reportedly announced himself the winner.

His declaration was dismissed by Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji, who denounced it as unlawful and “a matter of serious concern.”

The ruling CPDM also condemned Tchiroma’s claim as a “grotesque hoax,” maintaining that only the Constitutional Council is authorized to officially declare the winner.

However, there are reportedly widespread concerns about electoral transparency, fairness, and integrity. Opposition groups, civil society, and media have flagged possible irregularities.

Addressing the people of God in his Episcopal See prior to the proclamation of the results, Bishop Michael Miabesue Bibi of the Catholic Diocese of Buea urged Cameroonians to turn to prayer, invoking the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary—Cameroon’s principal patroness—to guide the nation through a tense period following the October 12 vote.

“Let us pray for our country, Cameroon. May justice be done. May the results announced help bring us together, not divide us. May they bring peace, not conflict,” Bishop Bibi said on October 26 at the Divine Mercy Co-Cathedral of Buea Diocese.

He warned that elections in many African nations often become flashpoints for violence, urging Cameroonians to resist being drawn into unrest. 

“We see how disputes over elections have triggered violence in many African countries. Let us pray that the Spirit of God, through the intercession of Mary, will touch every heart so that truth and justice may prevail,” the Cameroonian Catholic Bishop said.

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On October 19, NECC members expressed satisfaction with the peaceful atmosphere that marked Election Day but voiced concern about several irregularities that, they said, “seriously hinder our progress towards democracy.”

On his part, Bishop Paul Lontsié-Keuné of the Catholic Diocese of Bafoussam in Cameroon urged all stakeholders in the country’s October 12 presidential election to “respect the truth of the ballots,” stressing that the dignity of citizens is upheld only when their votes are recognized and honored.

Bishop Emmanuel Abbo of the country’s Catholic Diocese of Ngaoundéré called on Cameroonians to look beyond surface-level solutions to the tensions following the October 12 presidential polls, warning that peace cannot be achieved without addressing the pain and injustice felt by many citizens.