“Amid a heavy security presence, some Cameroonians made their way to the stadium on Thursday, sleeping there overnight so they could witness Leo speak in person”

“Leo, the first U.S. pope, on Thursday criticised leaders who spend billions on wars and, in unusually forceful remarks in Cameroon, said the world was 'being ravaged by a handful of tyrants'”

“On a 10-day tour across Africa, the pontiff has decried violations of international law by 'neocolonial' world powers and said 'the whims of the rich and powerful' threaten peace”

“Cameroon, a producer of oil and cocoa, faces grave security challenges, including a simmering Anglophone conflict in which thousands of people have been killed since 2017”

“The country has been led for more than four decades by President Paul Biya, the world's oldest head of state at 93. His re-election last October sparked protests by opponents who say most ordinary Cameroonians have little to show for his rule”

“Security forces killed 48 civilians during those protests, U.N. sources told Reuters in November, nearly half of them in the Littoral region which includes Douala”