By visiting the north-western city, the pope brought renewed international attention to the conflict in the Anglophone regions, which has persisted since 2017 and deeply divided the country. Roads were crowded with people arriving from across the region, including many displaced by the violence, as he urged unity in faith and warned against a world “ravaged by a handful of tyrants”, condemning the diversion of resources to arms over human development.

Earlier in Bamenda, Leo XIV presided over an interfaith meeting at Saint Joseph Cathedral alongside a traditional chief, a Protestant leader, an imam and a Catholic nun, in a rare display of cooperation in a region marked by political and sectarian tensions.

The gathering reflected local efforts to end violence that has killed more than 6,000 people and displaced over 600,000, according to the International Crisis Group.

Organisers said tens of thousands attended the Mass at the airfield, many from communities repeatedly uprooted since 2017, highlighting the symbolic weight of the pope’s visit and its message of dialogue and reconciliation..