Separatist factions operating in Cameroon’s restive Anglophone regions on Tuesday, April 14, announced a temporary cessation of hostilities, in anticipation of the upcoming visit by Pope Leo XIV.

Pope Leo is scheduled to arrive in the capital, Yaoundé, on Wednesday, 15 April, for the second leg of his four-nation pilgrimage to the African Continent. He will be travelling to  Bamenda, the main city in the western Anglophone region, on Thursday, where he will preside at a Meeting for Peace.

The announcement by the "Unity Alliance" marks a rare moment of de-escalation in a conflict that has ravaged the country’s Northwest and Southwest regions for nearly a decade.

For years, the fight for an independent state, which separatists call Ambazonia, has led to widespread violence, displacement, and a severe humanitarian crisis affecting millions.

In a statement, the separatists explained the decision as based on “responsibility, restraint, and respect for human dignity,” and that it aims to create a safe corridor and atmosphere for the spiritual leader’s arrival and activities.