Eglise Evangélique du Cameroun entangled in Bamileke-Douala tribal rivalry

The leadership hullabaloo that has plunged Eglise Evangélique du Cameroun (EEC) into a legal battle transcends religious matters.

The legal scuffle has reignited the Bamileke-Douala rivalry, which has been very fierce, and at times very deadly especially in the political sphere.

However, these two ethnic groups, which have been condemned to live together either by providence, have been flexing their muscles this time in the religious domain, precisely over the Presidency of the EEC.

While the Doualas wanted one of theirs, Rev Pastor Richard Priso Moungole to replace Rev Pastor Isaac Batomen Henga,(a Bamileke) as President of the church, Rev Henga on his own part favoured Rev Pastor Jean Samuel Hendje Toya another Bamileke as his successor.

This was to maintain the Bamileke hegemony in the Church. Bamilekes are the people who have been at the helm for the church for the past 15 years and the Doualas need a change at the top.

However, after last month’s elective general assembly of the church, which witnessed the triumph of Rev Toya over Moungole, the Douala clique of the church headed by Rev Kouoh dragged both Revs Henga and Toya to the Bonanjo Magistrate Court, accusing them of electoral fraud and embezzlement.

According to the aggrieved party, the number of votes cast at the election was more than the registered voters. 

Meanwhile, during the court hearing on May 23, the legal counsel of the defendants said the court has no competence to handle the matter because the matter was an internal affair of the church. The Judge was forced to postpone the matter to June 5.

Meantime, after the election in Ngoundere, Moungole’s supporters returned to Douala crying of having been short-changed of heading the EEC.

In the wake of the religious bickering, the Secretary General of Ngondo issued a communiqué condemning the election.

In his communiqué, the Ngondo Scribe threatened that all Doualas will boycott the EEC, if the presidency of the church is not handed over to a Douala.

In spite of protest by the Doualas, the newly elected EEC national bureau was recently commissioned, but the church has split into two warring camps with the Bamilekes on one hand, and the Doualas on the other hand, while the await the court decision on June 6.