Killing and burning witches… heinous crimes perpetrated by the “Bagakazi” in the Congo

The killing of women accused of practicing witchcraft has escalated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in one of the restive eastern provinces that is witnessing a wave of violence, according to officials and activists.

Eight women have been murdered, burned to death or summarily executed in three provinces, including South Kivu, this month.
In a report highlighting this problem, the newspaper “theguardian” quoted activist Nelly Adega, who works in a non-governmental media women’s association, as saying: “We recorded 324 charges of practicing witchcraft from June to September.”

Militias specialized in burning witches

In the Calais region, 114 cases were recorded, including five women who were burned to death and four who were taken to unknown locations by the so-called “self-defense militia”.

“The upsurge in witch-hunting attacks is caused by a governance vacuum,” said Bosco Mochokiwa, director and professor of sociology at the Higher Institute of Rural Development in the provincial capital, Bukavu.

He continued, “There is a resurgence of the phenomenon because the state has failed in its basic tasks – the police and the justice system are not doing their job.”

Mochukiwa said the attacks were carried out by the “Bajakazi” – a group that describes its members as “spiritual mediums”, claiming their ability to “discover witches”.