Bishops Urge Boko Haram Talks

Yaounde — Cameroon's National Episcopal Conference (CENC) has urged Boko Haram to enter into dialogue with the Cameroonian authorities for the release of three clerics who were kidnapped.

The clerics including two Italian priests and a Canadian nun were kidnapped in the far-northern town of Tchere on April 5, 2014.

"Our message to those who still hold our brothers in captivity is that they should release them and hold dialogue," Agence de Presse Africaine (APA) quoted the Emeritus Archbishop of Doula, Cardinal Christian Tumi as saying on May 25.

The call by the Cameroonian clergy comes a few days after the abduction by Boko Haram militants of ten Chinese nationals in Waza, another town in the Northern regions of the country.

According to Cameroonian highest authority, the dialogue alone can ensure not only the release of the hostages but also help them live in harmony.

"This is the reason why we condemn violence, because it leads to nothing," he argued.

Although Cameroonian President Paul Biya had declared war on Boko Haram during a security summit on security in Nigeria under the aegis of French President Francois Hollande in Paris, the bishop insisted that the church would only count on dialogue and invited all parties for talks.

On the restoration of peace in the northern provinces of the country, which have been the scene of renewed attacks by the militants, the bishops said it was up to the state to decide how to deal with the situation but warned people in the area to remain vigilant.