{"id":58823,"date":"2022-03-12T02:10:11","date_gmt":"2022-03-12T07:10:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldcatholicnews.com\/cameroon-bishop-tells-story-of-being-kidnapped-twice-over-48-hours\/"},"modified":"2022-03-12T02:10:11","modified_gmt":"2022-03-12T07:10:11","slug":"cameroon-bishop-tells-story-of-being-kidnapped-twice-over-48-hours","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldcatholicnews.com\/cameroon-bishop-tells-story-of-being-kidnapped-twice-over-48-hours\/","title":{"rendered":"Cameroon bishop tells story of being kidnapped twice over 48 hours"},"content":{"rendered":"
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YAOUND\u00c8, Cameroon \u2013 Even with sophisticated weaponry, the Cameroon military finds it hard getting to parts of Cameroon\u2019s English-speaking regions where separatist militants operate.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s even harder for government officials and anyone who doesn\u2019t adhere to the separatist agenda \u2013 an agenda that foresees the English-speaking regions separating from the rest of the country to form a new nation they call Ambazonia. English speakers make up about 20 percent of the population, while the rest of the country is predominantly French speaking.<\/p>\n
Since the Anglophone Crisis exploded in 2016, at least 4,000 people have been killed and over a million forced to flee from their homes, with about 70,000 seeking refuge in neighboring Nigeria.<\/p>\n
However, Bishop Michael Bibi of the Diocese of Buea in the troubled South West Region, braves the danger while visiting his flock.<\/p>\n
\u201cI go out for pastoral visits, and I go to places where government officials cannot go without the military, and if I were to go with the military, there would be fire exchange,\u201d Bibi told Crux<\/em>.<\/p>\n
On some of those pastoral visits, the prelate has faced life-threatening situations, including once being kidnapped twice in a 48-hour time span.<\/p>\n
The first time was when he was on his way to Kumba and gunmen stopped him.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs I passed Batibo town, these gentlemen came out of the forest; they surrounded me, entered my car \u2013 two of them with guns,\u201d Bibi recalled.<\/p>\n