Guinea Bissau: 8 women fatally poisoned for witchcraft
8 women, accused of witchcraft in Guinea-Bissau, met a grim fate as they succumbed to poisoning in the remote north, according to a senior official’s statement to AFP on Thursday.
The incident unfolded in Culade, Cacheu region, following the sudden deaths of two youngsters, leading to accusations against the women. An animist priest compelled them to ingest poison, resulting in the tragic deaths of all eight women, aged over 50. Additionally, 21 others were hospitalized in Sao Domingos, the local capital, as confirmed by Carlos Sanha, a senior administrative official in the town.
Expressing concern over the recurring nature of such events in areas with strong traditional animist beliefs, Sanha emphasized the need for decisive actions to end these practices rooted in ancestral times. He condemned the occurrences as “sad and unacceptable in the 21st century,” stating that tolerance for such practices is no longer acceptable.
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This tragic incident mirrors a similar event during the 2021 Covid-19 pandemic, where four individuals lost their lives under comparable circumstances in the same region. Local fears at that time linked the deaths to suspicions of witchcraft associated with the virus.
