Dozens of arrests as mobs kill nine suspected vampires in Malawi
Police say the situation is
spiralling out of control in Malawi, a poor African country where belief in
witchcraft is widespread.
14:51, UK, Saturday 21 October 2017
Image: Police in the city of
Blantyre. File pic
Police say 140 people have been
arrested after a spate of deadly mob attacks on suspected "vampires"
in Malawi.
There have been at least nine
killings, including an epileptic man who was burned to death and another person
who was stoned to death in the country's second-biggest city, Blantyre.
The assaults started last month when
rumours spread of "bloodsuckers" on the loose - and police say the
situation has spun out of control.
Mobs have been putting up illegal
road blocks, leading to security concerns in the southern African country.
Some residents - including health
officials, teachers and traditional leaders - say their homes have been
destroyed following speculation they were looking after "vampires".
Image: Malawi's President Peter
Mutharika has appealed for calm
President Peter Mutharika has
appealed for calm in the four districts where the attacks have taken place,
saying "my government will offer protection from these alleged
bloodsuckers".
Some areas have been declared dangerous
zones for people working for the United Nations and US embassy.
A UN safety report on the Phalombe
and Mulanje areas said: "These districts have severely been affected by
the ongoing stories of bloodsucking and possible existence of vampires."
Belief in witchcraft is widespread
in rural Malawi, one of the world's poorest nations, where many aid agencies
work.
Police chief Lexon Kachama said: "The
biggest challenge is that thieves and robbers have now taken advantage of the
situation and are mounting illegal roadblocks at night in order to harass
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