Catholic church preaches peace,solidarity

"The situation is very bad. When people talk of war, you can never imagine what is happening in the Far North Region of Cameroon." This is a statement made by Professor Jean Paul Messina, yesterday, March 4, 2015 at the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon (NECC) in Yaounde, as he and Professor Antoine Essomba Fouda of the Catholic University of Central Africa, presented to the public an investigative report on violence and insecurity in the Far North Region, particularly the Boko Haram war and the return of peace.

While presenting the report, Pr. Jean Paul Messina narrated how they visited many villages in the region which have been deserted by inhabitants. "We met many Cameroonians who do not know how to believe in God. People are hopeless," Prof. Antoine Essomba Fouda noted.

Both researchers told members of the public who were mostly religious leaders from different denominations that while carrying out the research between December 11 to 18, 2014 in Maroua and Mokolo, they saw people who do not have peace, have lost their families and all that they had in terms of wealth.

Prof. Jean Paul Messina said they are out to inform the church and the Christian community about the situation in the Far North Region so that they know what type of decisions they can take to organise themselves and help sustain the army and those affected by the war. "We have to spiritually fight against Boko Haram. People have to pray throughout the national territory," Pr Antoine Essomba Fouda stressed.

Boko Haram will be eliminated one day. But in the region, Prof. Essomba Fouda said certain principles such as extremism need to be dealt with. That is why the church is coming with a spiritual bullet to convert the minds of those who think violence is a culture by preaching peace and reconciliation.

The researchers said there is a need to work in synergy with other denominations such as Protestants and Muslims so as to have enough logistics not only to support those who are fighting but also to enable others know that the Boko Haram phenomenon is a distraction with no future for those who will join terrorism or extremism.

One of the principal recommendations of the report is the setting up of a Solidarity Fund to assist refugees, as well as the army. The first phase of the report was presented to the public so as to permit the researchers to put together the observation of others in a bid to come out with a final document.

The final document will serve as basis for the church to intervene in the fight against Boko Haram.