Mankaha Football Club has emerged as the winner of the first edition of the Ndong Manjong Peace and Unity Football Tournament, defeating Mambu Football Club on penalties in the final played at the Sacred Heart School Field in Mankon, Bamenda.
The competition, organized and sponsored by the Manjong Bamenda Branch, took place on Sunday, May 10, 2026, and brought together six teams drawn from the Bafut community in Bamenda. The participating clubs were Manji FC, Nchum FC, Bukari FC, Njinteh FC, Mambu FC, and Mankaha FC.
Organizers say the tournament was created to promote peace, unity, and social cohesion among members of the Bafut community through football.
Speaking during the event, President of the Manjong Bamenda Branch, Ndonwi Derick Shu, said the tournament was conceived not merely as a football competition but as a peacebuilding platform aimed at restoring unity and strengthening social cohesion within the Bafut community.
He explained that the initiative sought to reconnect divided communities, positively engage young people, and create an atmosphere where families, quarters, and villages could come together in friendship, tolerance, and mutual respect.
According to him, the competition also aimed at promoting teamwork, discipline, leadership, and sportsmanship among youths while discouraging violence, drug abuse, and other social vices through active participation in sports.
The Manjong Bamenda Branch President added that the tournament served as a platform for reconciliation, networking, and collective participation in community peace-building efforts while also preserving and strengthening the spirit of the Ndong Manjong Peace and Unity Tournament.
He said the strong mobilization witnessed throughout the competition showed that members of the community remained eager for peace, unity, and progress.
Sports Coordinator Nfor Alfred Ngwa, who also serves as Subdelegate for Sports and Physical Education for Bafut, disclosed that more than one million FCFA was invested in prize money for the tournament.
According to him, all six participating teams received financial rewards based on their performances. Winners, Mankaha FC, received 400,000 FCFA, while runners-up Mambu FC took home 200,000 FCFA. Manji FC earned 100,000 FCFA after finishing third. Njinteh FC received 50,000 FCFA, Bukari FC collected 25,000 FCFA, and Nchum FC went home with 15,000 FCFA. Njinteh FC and Nchum FC were eliminated during the first round of the competition.
Reacting after the final, Mambu FC captain Chenwi Godswill Ambe said he was satisfied with the outcome despite his side’s defeat. “As a semi-professional football player, I understand that in every final, one team must win while the other loses. Throughout this competition, I learned a lot, and I am committed to improving where I was lacking,” he said.
He congratulated the winners and praised the organizers for what he described as a successful initiative aimed at keeping the Bafut community united and lively.
Mankaha FC captain Ngwa Neba described the victory as emotional and hailed the competition as an important platform for promoting peace through sports. “I feel overwhelmed seeing Mankaha FC emerge victorious in the first edition of this tournament. It is a laudable initiative bringing youths together through sports and preaching peace in the community,” he said.
More than 3000 spectators turned out for the finals, describing the maiden edition of the tournament as a success and expressing hopes that it would continue to strengthen unity and social ties among the Bafut people living in Bamenda.
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