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Why Pope Leo is visiting Cameroon ?

April 16, 2026

By Djinodji SOLMENGAR Rodrigue

Pope Leo arrived in Cameroon on April 15 for a three-day visit, part of an 11-day tour of Africa.

He arrived from Algeria, the first stop of his trip.

Speaking in Yaoundé, the pope called for peace and denounced corruption.

In order for peace and justice to prevail, the chains of corruption — which disfigure authority and strip it of its credibility — must be broken, he said.

The visit includes a mass and meetings with authorities in Yaoundé. He will also travel to Bamenda in the northwest and to the port city of Douala.

Cameroon has faced a separatist conflict in its two English-speaking regions for nearly a decade. Fighting between government forces and armed groups has killed thousands.

A separatist alliance said it will allow a “three-day safe travel passage” during the pope’s visit. The group said civilians and visitors will be able to move freely.

The trip marks the first papal visit to Cameroon since Pope Benedict XVI visited in 2009.

After Cameroon, Pope Leo will travel to Angola and Equatorial Guinea.

Djinodji Solmengar

Djinodji Solmengar

Djinodji Solmengar Rodrigue is a journalist with MRTV English, Chad’s first English-language media outlet, where he led English-language news coverage at its launch. Based in N’Djamena, his reporting explores political, economic, and social developments, with particular attention to everyday realities, informal sectors, and cultural life. His work also extends to football and broader societal issues, approached through field reporting and in-depth storytelling. Beyond reporting, Djinodji regularly conducts interviews focused on education, including the teaching of English in Chad, as well as conversations (with AFROTRONIX, to name a few) on culture and music. He is also active as an English–French interpreter, working alongside international media professionals. In this capacity, he recently supported and interpreted for a delegation of foreign journalists, including BBC representatives, during the PND Chad Connexion 2030 mission. Alongside his professional practice, Djinodji is pursuing a PhD, with research centered on the presence of China and Russia in Africa as portrayed in selected Commonwealth online media. His academic interests lie at the intersection of media, geopolitics, and discourse analysis. Earlier in his career, he taught English and authored a Master’s thesis examining the contextualization of English language teaching in Chad, reflecting a sustained engagement with educational challenges and policy.

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