International Christian Concern reported on 1 June 2021 that Father Christopher Eboka of Mamfe diocese was
released on 1 June after ten days of captivity. The Catholic priest had been kidnapped by Anglophone separatists on 22 May and held incommunicado. In a‚
statement posted on Facebook shortly after the priest"s release, the leadership of the so-called "Republic of Ambazonia" explained that he had been "held under custody for investigation of alleged crimes being committed by him and the Catholic Church as a whole against our Ambazonia War of Independence" (Facebook post, June 2021).
World Watch Research analyst Yonas Dembele comments: "Separatists have been operating in the English-speaking Southwest and Northwest regions since 2016 after a protest by lawyers and teachers turned violent. The armed separatists, who claim independence for the so-called Republic of Ambazonia, have been responsible for a series of abductions and attacks in the Anglophone regions. Even though the separatists are not as such anti-Christian, they have targeted Christians to put pressure on the government and have attacked Christian leaders who speak out against the ongoing conflict. In the Facebook statement mentioned above they also cautioned the Roman Catholic Church to stop working alongside the government in encouraging Ambazonian fighters to lay down their arms. The government has also intimidated and attacked Christians for speaking out against the atrocities going on in the country."
