Appeal for peace in Cameroon after school attack
Photo: LWF
LWF General Secretary calls for reconciliation after killing of children in Cameroon’s conflict-ridden western region
(LWI) - The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) General Secretary, Rev. Dr Martin Junge has sent a pastoral letter offering support to the churches and people of Cameroon, following an attack on a school which killed at least six children and injured a dozen others.
Writing on behalf of the global communion of churches, the Lutheran leader asks: “How can anyone or group of people kill and hurt children in a school where they had gathered to learn and develop themselves to lead future generations. Why?”
In the letter sent to leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Cameroon and the Church of the Lutheran Brethren of Cameroon, as well as to LWF’s Vice-President for Africa, Rev. Dr Jeannette Ada Maina and the President of the Council of Protestant Churches in Cameroon, Rt Rev. Samuel Fonki, Junge says he has been “filled with anguish” since reading the news of the attack on a school in Kumba, in the south west of the country on 24 October.
We continue to stand in solidarity with the affected as we call for justice, peace, reconciliation and the upholding of the human rights and dignity of all.
Recognizing the “pain that the parents, siblings, relatives and friends and the community of these children are going through,” the Lutheran leader assures them of the prayers and solidarity of the LWF’s 148 member churches. “As we cry with you and we seek justice for the victims of this sinful act of violence,” he says, “we pray that our God of grace and love will comfort you all.”
Reiterating the LWF’s call for “justice, peace, reconciliation and the upholding of the human rights and dignity of all,” Junge concludes by assuring the churches in Cameroon of “our continued accompaniment and support during this difficult time and always.”
According to the United Nations, at least 3.000 people have died and half a million displaced in the conflict in western Cameroon, where separatist rebels are calling for an independent English-speaking state.
