‘Preventing children from going to school is diabolical,’ says papal representative in Cameroon

In brief

Archbishop José Avelino Bettencourt, the papal representative to Cameroon, described the forced boycott of schools in the country's English-speaking regions as diabolical. The Archbishop issued this warning as the 2026/2027 academic year began on September 7.

The North West and South West regions have faced a separatist crisis for ten years, during which boycotting schools became a primary strategy for separatists. UNICEF reports that the crisis has caused the closure of more than 6,000 schools, impacting over 800,000 children. Additionally, Save the Children indicates that children in the North West region have lost an average of three and a half years of schooling because of the conflict.

Human Rights Watch has documented that armed groups attacked at least 75 schools and abducted more than 150 education workers since 2016.