The spiritual leader of the global Anglican Communion, the Most Reverend Sarah Mullally, has called for peace in Cameroon, saying the people of the Central African nation have suffered for far too long.
Archbishop Sarah concluded her five-day pastoral visit to the country on Tuesday, August 4. The visit was the second leg of a pastoral tour of the Anglican Church of the Province of West Africa, which began in Ghana on July 26.
Preaching at a farewell service in Yaounde on Tuesday, Archbishop Sarah said the people of Cameroon “have suffered for far too long” and called for “genuine and inclusive dialogue” that leads to lasting peace.
Despite efforts, including the 2019 peace talks dubbed the Major National Dialogue, aimed at finding a peaceful solution, there is still no end in sight to the deadly armed conflict in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions, which began in 2017.
Archbishop Sarah, who on Saturday visited the South West Region—one of the two English-speaking regions affected by the separatist conflict said peace requires genuine and inclusive dialogue that brings everyone to the table.
“That requires courage, it requires strength, and it requires commitment at every level of society, but particularly those in authority,” said the first female Archbishop of Canterbury and the first leader of the Anglican Communion to visit Cameroon.
Despite the country’s suffering, Archbishop Sarah said she was “profoundly moved” by the growth of the Anglican Diocese of Cameroon, which began as a missionary diocese before attaining full diocesan status in 2008. The Church now has approximately 15,000 Anglicans in the country.
“Where you have seen your people suffering, caught up in continued conflict, displaced and fearful, you have been faithful to Jesus’ call. Your people are hard-pressed, ministry is challenging, and communities are often hard to reach—and yet, the Anglican Church in Cameroon is growing! Praise God! Alleluia!” Archbishop Sarah said.
The two-hour farewell service was attended by the local congregation and Anglicans from across the Diocese of Cameroon. Schoolchildren and a youth marching band also took part in the celebration.
Speaking earlier in Buea, the headquarters of the South West Region, on Saturday, Archbishop Sarah said violence hinders economic development.
“It is hard to find economic stability; it is hard to find good education and good healthcare if there is no peace,” she said. “People in leadership roles have to cultivate peace and help people to come together.”
Before departing Yaounde on Tuesday night, Archbishop Sarah held separate audiences with the Secretary General at the Presidency of the Republic, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, and the Minister of External Relations, Lejeune Mbella Mbella.
