Separatists disrupt church service in Jakiri, order Christians to return home

Residents of Jakiri abruptly ended their church service on February 11th as separatist fighters, led by self-styled General Capo of Bui, disrupted the proceedings, accusing worshipers of pretence. The church, situated just behind the Grandstand in Jakiri, was originally slated to host activities commemorating Youth Day.

“We are stopping the service because worshippers will pretend as if they are going to church and end up taking part in youth day activities that have been banned by us,” one of the attackers stated.

The Catholic church in Jakiri, Bui Division of the North West Region, faced disruption as the separatist group stormed the premises and disrupted a Sunday Mass on February 11th.

The armed group ordered hundreds of Christians to evacuate the church, capturing the incident on video.

In the video, one of the fighters can be heard instructing, “Everyone go home and say your prayers there. We do not want to see anyone outside.”

Men, women, and children were seen fleeing the church as the armed group implemented their orders.

Following the church disruption, the planned Youth Day celebrations faced further turmoil as separatists took over the Grandstand, producing propaganda videos, claiming control of the area. Consequently, the festivities were relocated to a nearby school premises.

Youth Day boycott

A fighter explained their motive in the video, stating, “We are here to stop them from using the church as a passport to go and take part in the march pass parade.” While emphasising their stance, the fighters insisted, “We had made it clear that we do not want any movement, but we realised that people are up and about. They want to take part in the parade later, and we do not want that.”

The incident occurred on National Youth Day, celebrated on February 11th.

Historically, in 1961, Southern Cameroon voted to join the Republic of Cameroon. However, since the start of the Anglophone Crisis in 2016, separatists have prohibited the celebration of such events in English-speaking regions. “We do not even know what the day is all about, and we do not care; all we want is for you to stay indoors,” the fighters declared.

Bui, no stranger to chaos!

In Jakiri, the Bui Warriors, a separatist group,” have established a presence, enforcing measures such as ghost towns and school boycotts on the local population. It remains unclear whether they masterminded Sunday’s IED attack on Nkambe, as several other groups have emerged over the past years.

Residents who defy their orders face reprisal attacks, as one of the Separatists warned locals during the evacuation from the church premises, “If we see anyone, it will be a terrible day for you.”

Despite President Paul Biya’s statement on December 31st, 2023, suggesting a return to calm in the Anglophone regions, recent attacks in Nkambe, Donga Mantung – considered among the most peaceful parts of the North West Region – contradict this assertion. The ongoing conflict has tragically claimed over 6,000 lives and displaced over one million people from their homes.

Kim Feh contributed to and edited this report.

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