Willy Eyong, ‘Ambazonian’ military attaché instructing fighters to target churches, civilians
What if the arsonists of the Nchang September 16 , 2022 Church burning followed his orders?
By Wilson Musa
Willy Eyong, popularly known as Commissioner Willy, the military attaché of the Sako-led ‘Ambazonia Interim Government’ is on record on August 24, 2022, to have called on his fighters in the embattled regions to attack the Catholic, Baptist, and Presbyterian churches.
In an audio which this CNA reporter has a copy of, Eyong can be heard instructing fighters in Pidgin to ensure that all of the three mainline churches operating in smaller towns should all be razed to the ground with the exception of those churches located in Buea and Bamenda.
“Effective September 1, 2022, Catholic Church, Presbyterian Church, Baptist Church they no go exist or operate inside Ambazonia, except only for the headquarters” Eyong can be heard saying in the more than 3-minute audio.
Speaking further, he asks his fighters to ensure that all expatriate missionaries are chased out of the two concerned regions and that the warriors should not hesitate “to kill” any foreign missionaries who do not leave the territory in one week’s time.
These are very reckless statements that do not only go against the Geneva convention but must be condemned in the strongest terms.
CNA cannot independently verify if the arsonists who burned the Nchang Catholic Church and kidnapped 9 people including 5 priests in Mamfe, South West region, were acting upon his instructions. But his statement was meant to push Ambazonian fighters to target the Clergies.
They claim to be fighting for these same people and say their struggle is God ordained, then why target the people who intercede on their behalf with God?
Christian Cardinal Tumi ( RIP) was also kidnapped by Ambazonian fighters around Ndop along with the Fon of Nso in 2020 although they were later freed. A host of other Priests have been kidnapped in Mamfe in the past.
The current state of affairs is tragic because the kidnappers have demanded a ransom of FCFA 60M.
The ongoing push for secession and the resulting war has cost Anglophone Cameroonians dearly. Willy Eyong to make such a call is not only dangerous but also outright evil.
Churches are non-partisan institutions that do not side with any organization even in wartime, hence his expectation that the three aforementioned churches have to pick a side somehow is totally wrong.
