The peace meeting in Bamenda during the visit of Pope Leo XIV places women firmly within the moral and human centre of the Anglophone crisis, yet stops short of fully delivering the structural inclusion they have long demanded.
During the gathering inside the St Joseph’s Cathedral, the most direct and visceral account comes from Sr Carine Tangiri Mangu. She recounts her abuction alongside another nun, describing days of fear, hunger and uncertainty in the hands of armed men.
“We neither slept nor ate… what kept our hope alive was the Rosary,” she says, offering a stark illustration of the risks faced by consecrated women working in conflict zones.
Her account aligns closely with the position advanced a day earlier by the South West North West Women’s Task Force, SNWOT which frames women not only as victims but as frontline actors in peacebuilding, humanitarian response and community survival. Thier press statement read by the general coordinator Andiensa Clotilda Waah emphasises that women have “borne the brunt of this conflict” while sustaining mediation, education support and social cohesion across fractured communities.
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This dual identity of women as both sufferers and solution bearers is echoed, though less explicitly, throughout the peace meeting. Religious leaders repeatedly acknowledge the humanitarian toll of the crisis, with Archbishop Andrew Nkea noting that “many women have been rendered widows” and communities left traumatised. The Pope himself reinforces this recognition, expressing gratitude to “lay and religious women who care for individuals traumatised by violence,” calling their work “enormous” and often unseen.
Yet the distinction between recognition and representation remains evident.
While women’s suffering and service are acknowledged, their direct voice in shaping peace outcomes appears limited within the formal structure of the meeting. The SNWOT statement had called clearly for “meaningful participation of women, youth and marginalised groups as decision-makers” and the creation of “faith-based mediation corridors” where women would have an active role. That demand for institutional space does not fully materialise in Bamenda.
Instead, the platform reflects a broader pattern. Male religious leaders, traditional authorities and institutional representatives dominate the formal address, while women’s contributions emerge primarily through testimony and moral witness. Even where their role is praised, it remains framed as supportive rather than decision-making.
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This imbalance becomes more pronounced when set against the scale of women’s involvement outlined by SNWOT. From local mediation to international advocacy, from sustaining education to leading humanitarian responses, women are described as critical actors in keeping communities functional amid collapse. Yet, as the statement notes, these contributions remain “largely informal and insufficiently recognised.”
Still, the Bamenda meeting marks a shift, if not a full resolution.
The inclusion of Sr Carine’s testimony, alongside the Pope’s explicit acknowledgement of women’s work, signals a growing legitimacy of women’s experiences within high-level peace discourse. More significantly, the broader interfaith framing of the meeting, with Christian and Muslim leaders united, reflects the same inclusive logic that women’s groups have long championed at grassroots level.
Pope Leo XIV’s response reinforces this trajectory, describing the local peace efforts as “a model for the whole world” and urging communities to “be like oil poured out upon the wounds of your brothers and sisters.” Within that metaphor lies an implicit validation of the caregiving and reconciliation roles largely carried by women.
However, the gap between symbolic recognition and structural inclusion remains the central tension.
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The SNWOT position is unequivocal.
“Sustainable peace in Cameroon is impossible without the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women.”
In Bamenda, the foundations of that participation are visible in testimony, acknowledgement and moral authority. What is still emerging is its translation into formal power and decision-making space.
As the city absorbs the weight of the Pope’s visit and its message of reconciliation, the question left behind is not whether women matter in the peace process, that is no longer contested. It is whether their voices will move from the margins of testimony to the centre of negotiation.
For now, Bamenda offers a moment of convergence. Women are seen, heard and affirmed. The next phase will determine whether they are also fully included.
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By Bakah Derick for Hilltopvoices Web
Tel: +237 694 71 85 77
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Bakah Derick is an award-winning Cameroonian journalist and mediapreneur, serving as Vice President in charge of International Relations at the Cameroon Journalists’ Trade Union, member of the African Journalists Federation, International Journalists Federation and leading Hilltopvoices Communications Group Ltd to amplify community voices and governance issues. With nearly 20 years in the field, his impactful reporting spanning human rights, environmental protection, inclusive development, and sports has earned him prestigious honours such as the 2024 VIIMMA Humanitarian Reporter of the Year and more. Email: debakah2004@gmail.com Tel: +237 675 460 750
