Southern Cameroons Crisis: Kenyan Roman Catholic priest killed in Manyu
A Kenyan Roman Catholic priest, Rev Father Cosmos Omboto Ondari serving with the Mamfe Diocese in Cameroon was shot and killed by Cameroon government forces on Wednesday in the village of Kembong some few kilometers from Mamfe, the chief town in the Manyu County, a local official said.
Cameroon Intelligence Report has not gotten any reaction from the Bishop’s House in Mamfe. But what we do know is that the late Rev Father Cosmos Ondari was killed in front of the church building by Francophone soldiers deployed to Kembong by the French Cameroun regime to combat the Ambazonia Restoration Forces. The soldiers reportedly stormed the Church compound made a mockery of the priest before firing two shots at him.
Our chief correspondent in the Manyu County pointed out that the motive behind the killing of the Kenyan priest remains unclear. But the Francophone soldiers who carried the act were heard murmuring privately that all English speaking clergies were directly behind the Ambazonian separatists fighters. All attempts at getting to His Lordship Bishop Andrew Nkea, Bishop of the Diocese of Mamfe who has demonstrated a moderate view ever since President Biya declared war against the English speaking minority were futile.
Several Christian churches operating in the Manyu County have ordered everyone to stay at home. The remains of the late Man of God will be moved today to Mamfe, the headquarters of the diocese. No Cameroon government official has commented on the incident.
Recently, an American missionary Charles Wesco Trumann was killed by Cameroon government forces on grounds that he was a CIA agent secretly providing assistance to the Southern Cameroons Restoration Forces. Another Roman Catholic priest Rev Father Alex Sob was murdered in Muyuka by Cameroon government forces some few months ago.
By Judith Fon in Mamfe