Human rights, the fight against corruption and abuse of power: Leo XIV sent a powerful political message to the authorities of Cameroon on Wednesday, inviting them to an "examination of conscience" on the first day of his visit to the country, where he was welcomed with popular jubilation.

The American pope arrived in the capital Yaoundé from Algeria, where the start of his African tour was partly overshadowed by a double suicide bombing some forty kilometers from Algiers and a diatribe against him by Donald Trump, who notably accused him of being "incompetent in foreign policy".

In front of the country's authorities and its president Paul Biya, 93, who has ruled with an iron fist since 1982, he delivered a speech of rare firmness, calling for "breaking the chains of corruption," while the Cameroonian president stated that "the world needs the message of peace" carried by Leo XIV.

Cameroon, ranked 142nd out of 182 according to Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index, continues to face widespread corruption which fuels criticism from the opposition and international organizations.

In recent years, Paul Biya has made numerous private trips abroad, where the opposition accuses him of spending fortunes of public money.

His re-election in October 2025 was also followed by protests that were violently suppressed, and several civil society organizations denounced on Tuesday "an unprecedented phase of repression", demanding the release of political prisoners, some of whom are being held outside of any legal framework.

"Security is a priority, but it must always be exercised with respect for human rights," the pontiff said, emphasizing the role of civil society, including humanitarian NGOs and trade unions, in "social peace.

- Songs and flags -

Welcomed in a frenzied atmosphere in Yaoundé, Leo XIV, surrounded by a security convoy, blessed from a car with a sunroof the thousands of faithful gathered along the airport roads who cheered him with percussion, waving flags of the country and the Vatican under a blazing sun.

The welcome was just as warm at the Ngul Zamba Catholic orphanage, where he applauded the songs sung by the children. "You are destined for a future greater than your wounds," he told them.

"We hope that as soon as he sets foot on Cameroonian soil, the war will stop," Bénédicte Bélinka, dressed in a loincloth bearing the image of the Pope, told AFP.

Tatah Mbuy, a priest in Bamenda, sees this visit—the first by a pope since Benedict XVI in 2009—as "a golden opportunity. Every Cameroonian hopes the pope will come to preach peace." He intends to do everything he can to reach Bamenda before Thursday, where the pope will celebrate a highly anticipated mass.

Bamenda is the epicenter of violence in the English-speaking northwest between government forces and separatist groups that has left thousands dead and hundreds of thousands displaced for almost a decade.

- "Peaceful solution" -

In this Central African country where approximately 37% of the roughly 30 million inhabitants are Catholic, the Church plays a mediating role and manages a vast network of hospitals, schools and charitable works - a lever of influence that the Holy See wishes to consolidate.

On Monday, separatist groups announced a three-day truce in the north, where nearly 20% of the population lives, to allow the Pope to be welcomed safely.

Following violently repressed peaceful demonstrations, a conflict arose in 2017 opposing separatists, who proclaimed the "Republic of Ambazonia", to the government of Yaoundé.

Caught in the crossfire, civilians have become targets of extortion, violence, kidnapping for ransom, and assassinations. At least 6,000 of them have died since 2016, according to the UN.

The Pope will travel to the economic capital, Douala, on Friday, and will celebrate Mass in a stadium there, which is expected to be attended by hundreds of thousands of faithful.

The leader of the 1.4 billion Catholics will continue this 18,000 km African journey at a frenetic pace in Angola and Equatorial Guinea until April 23.