Manyu Division: Kembong a breeding ground for military unfriendliness

By Sah Terence Animbom

Just about a year since the Cameroon military is reported to have burnt down over thirty houses in Kembong, a village located some 18 kilometers from Mamfe central town the divisional headquarters of Manyu division, an act that sent the over six thousand inhabitants of the village fleeing and living behind their livestock and cocoa, the dust is yet to settle with the village yet to return to complete normalcy and the Cameroon military is once more pointed a very confident accusing finger for the death of a Roman Catholic Priest of the Catholic Diocese of Mamfe.

The priest, Rev Fr. Cosmas Ombotu Ondari a Mill Hill Missionary from Kenya who before his unfortunate demise was serving as assistant Parish Priest at the St. Martin Of Thores Parish Kembong is barely a year old in his ministry as a full blown priest as he was only ordained into the order of the Roman Catholic priesthood in April 2017. After his ordination, he was transferred together with his parish Priest Rev. Fr Vuni Tiberius from St. Judes Parish Fundong to Mamfe Diocese. This was shortly after Mill Hill missionaries finished their term of activities in the Fundong parish.

On Wednesday November 21, 2018, the day of his demise, he was standing in front of the church while some Christians were cleaning inside the church. It was about 3:00pm when suddenly the gendarmes were entering the village with their car and shooting profusely. It would appear this is their usual way of entering the village in order to scare villagers away. They were shooting in all directions as they were approaching the church they kept shooting at the church. Fr. Cosmas tried escaping to the back of the church and was picked by a couple of bullets. That is how he lost his life. Witnesses told The Scale Africa News.

The Bishop of Mamfe in an interview with BBC stressed that the Rev. Fr. Cosmas was killed by the military and challenged the minister of Communication to verify his facts before he goes on air. Stating “we live in Mamfe. The minister does not know the situation in Mamfe he does not even know Kembong besides we are not arguing over truth” he said. It is worth mentioning that the priests serving at the Kembong Parish only went back to Kembong recently after they had been forced by killings, burnings and mass exodus from Kembong in November last year to leave the village due to military harassment and insecurity.

While communication minister and secretary general at the presidency in charge of defense Joseph Beti Asomo are both claiming that the act was not committed by Cameroonian military, the Bishop of Mamfe Andrew Fuanya Nkea has maintained that the military was responsible. In his interview with BBC he states that he actually counted twenty one bullet holes on the front wall of the church and that one bullet actually passed through the window and cracked a wall next to the alter inside the church.

Communication minister says the priest in Mamfe was killed by secessionist loyal to Eric Tataw while defense boss at the presidency says the act was committed by unknown gunmen well equipped and parading in a car. He insinuates that the act was well orchestrated so as to put the blame on the Cameroonian military.

The mortal remains of Rev. Fr. Cosmas have been transported to the Akum mortuary in Bamenda pending arrangements for repatriation to Kenya while his country has promised to dig deep into the circumstances surrounding the murder of their citizen.