Ambazonian Vice President Yerima Issues Strong Response to Archbishop of Bamenda, Demands Immediate Release of Detained Clergy Amid Ongoing Genocide
By Andre Momo BaretaNews November 25, 2025
In a pointed press statement released on November 24, 2025, Dabney Yerima, Vice President of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, responded to a recent letter from the Archbishop of Bamenda, highlighting the release of five Reverend fathers and sisters while condemning the broader silence on atrocities committed by the Cameroonian regime.
The statement begins by expressing appreciation for the release, noting it as a welcome act of humanity and restraint aligned with shared values and principles guiding the quest for justice, dignity, and self-determination. However, it quickly shifts to criticism, pointing out the emotional weight of the call and the long-standing selective activism by certain church leaders amid the brutal genocide unleashed by the Biya regime against the people of Ambazonia.
“For years, Ambazonian Catholic Christians and other Christians, men, women, catechists, youths, and even clergy have been arbitrarily arrested, tortured, disappeared, and killed by the Cameroonian military,” the statement reads. It references specific incidents, including the unjust detention of bishops organizing marches to free parishioners in villages like Yaoundé, Buea, Bamenda, Douala, and others. Pregnant women murdered, seminars dedicated to truth and justice disrupted, and political prisoners—fathers, mothers, pastors, and teachers—languishing in jail for exercising their right to self-determination are all cited as evidence of systemic oppression.
The response accuses the Archdiocese of Bamenda of becoming increasingly entangled in narratives that legitimize oppression, sanitize injustice, and indirectly uphold the machinery of a genocidal regime. It claims some within the church hierarchy have chosen the comfort of cooperation over the courage of conviction, prioritizing political positioning, financial incentives, and state approval over prophetic truth.
Yerima’s Letter
Yerima’s office emphasizes that the Ambazonian struggle for self-determination is grounded in internationally recognized legal frameworks, including the African Charter, the UN Charter, and humanitarian law. “Our guiding principle is clear, we do not target religious institutions nor harm servants of God. The Biya regime has a history stained with the blood of murdered priests, pastors, and bishops, but we will never walk that dark path,” the statement asserts.
The document also condemns the kidnapping for ransom and calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Father Berinyuy, clarifying that the fight is not against the clergy, education, or the church, but against military occupation, systemic injustice, and attempts to erase a people and their identity.
In a direct message to the church, the statement urges: “Your biblical mandate is to stand with the oppressed, defend the weak, and speak truth to power, not to collaborate with oppression. If the church has the moral strength to call for marches, let those marches be against the source of the moral decay: the Biya regime.”
This response comes amid broader calls from the Ambazonian leadership for peaceful, lawful, and principled struggles for freedom. In a related statement from Yerima’s office, the Vice President urged all clergy to live out their prophetic role, not remaining silent when Christians are killed, children burned alive, or the French Cameroon government commits crimes against humanity in Ambazonia.
“Our message is clear: We remain committed to a peaceful, lawful, and principled struggle for the freedom and dignity of our people. We will not tolerate crimes that stain our righteous cause, and we will not accept attempts to derail it through emotional manipulation, intimidation, or misinformation,” the earlier communication states. It concludes with a prayer for truth to prevail, justice to reign, and peace to be built on the foundations of dignity, not silence.
These developments underscore the escalating tensions in the region, where the Ambazonian independence movement continues to demand international attention to what they describe as a genocide. BaretaNews will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as more details emerge.
For more information or to support the Ambazonian cause, contact the Office of the Vice President at yerimadabney@gmail.com or via WhatsApp at +27 (0)65 593 1424.
