Foreign media: 5 Congolese "witches" were burned alive, and the participants had children under the age of ten

Source: World Wide Web

Agence France-Presse reported on the 9th that local officials and other sources revealed that in a turbulent province in eastern Congo, the number of "witch hunting" cases is increasing rapidly, and since the beginning of September, 8 people accused of being "witches" in three areas of South Kivu province have been burned to death or sentenced to lynching.

Agence France-Presse:The number of victims of "witch hunts" in Congo has soared, with cases of burning to death (Photo: An abandoned church in South Kivu, Congo)

A member of the country's NGO said, "Between June and September, we recorded 324 allegations of witchcraft. "In one area of South Kivu alone, 114 such incidents have been recorded, including 5 women burned alive and 4 women dragged to 'unknown' places by so-called militias.

A Congolese teacher also revealed that he witnessed a "witch hunt" on August 16. The witness said a woman believed to be a witch was "beaten, poured with petrol and set on fire with matches." The teacher added that children under the age of 10 were also involved in such activities, "I saw a five-year-old child holding a large stick and flipping the charred body with the stick." "

In response to this phenomenon, sociologists in South Kivu told the media that the surge in the number of "witch hunts" was due to the failure of the local police and judicial system to fulfil their duties. Experts added that the attacks were instigated by local self-proclaimed missionaries or psychics who claimed to be able to sense witches, "it's a lie, they don't have any ability, but they exploit the superstitions of manipulated people to attract more supporters, improve their 'reputation' and gain more influence in the village." ”