Category Archives: Angola

Shocking report on rural infanticide, violence against children accused of witchcraft, and ritual attacks against children with albinism in 19 SSA countries

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In a recently released document of the African Child Policy Forum (ACPF), Revealing Our Hidden Shame – Addressing Charges of Witchcraft and Ritual Attacks, it is being reported that “hundreds of thousands of children in Africa are believed to be accused every year of what is widely regarded across Africa as a particularly heinous crime: witchcraft”.

In the document, 19 Sub-Sahara African countries are mentioned as the scene of cases of the commission of rural infanticide crimes, attacks against children with disabilities, ritual attacks against children with albinism and cases of violence against children accused of witchcraft.

The 19 SSA countries are scattered across the continent and it is believed – in view of the scarcity of data – that the cases which have come to light only constitute the tip of the iceberg.

It goes without saying that there is no place in the 21st century for these practices and crimes.

Warning: Some readers may find the following story disturbing
(webmaster FVDK).

Cult-related attacks against children still occur in at least 19 SSA countries

Published: June 2, 2022
By: LUSA – Macau Business dot com

Angola is the only Portuguese-speaking African country mentioned in a report released on Wednesday by the African Child Policy Forum (ACPF) on the practice of ritual attacks against children.

In the document, “Revealing Our Hidden Shame – Addressing Charges of Witchcraft and Ritual Attacks”, presented Tuesday in a video conference from Addis Ababa, “hundreds of thousands of children in Africa are believed to be accused every year of what is widely regarded across Africa as a particularly heinous crime: witchcraft”.

ACPF executive director Joan Nyanyuki argues in the introduction that “across the African continent, much has been done to improve laws and policies aimed at ending violence against children.”

“Some progress has been made in establishing the systems and structures needed to implement and enforce these policies and laws. These efforts, however, have not sufficiently addressed an important dimension of violence against children: accusations of witchcraft and ritual attacks,” it adds.

In the document, 19 countries are referenced as the scene of cases of the commission of rural infanticide crimes, attacks against children with disabilities, attacks against children with albinism and cases of violence against children accused of witchcraft.

“The report documents, to the extent possible in light of the scarcity of data, how widespread accusations of witchcraft are across the continent (although they vary in extent over time and from place to place). Best estimates suggest that hundreds of thousands of children face accusations every year in Africa and subsequently suffer serious violations.”

Examples given by the document point to reported cases of ritual infanticide in Benin, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar and Niger, while Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Essuatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Liberia, Madagascar, Rwanda and Zimbabwe have reported ritual attacks on children with disabilities.

Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali and Tanzania have reported attacks on children with albinism and in South Africa, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Liberia, Nigeria and Tanzania cases of violence against children accused of being witches are reported.

“To protect children from the harm of witchcraft accusations, it is not necessary to deny that ‘witchcraft’ exists. Instead, it is important to prioritise child protection while preventing child abuse by addressing the belief that such abuse can somehow protect communities from perceived danger,” the document argues.

The research that resulted in the report found that with the exception of work done by some non-governmental organisations, “few organisations and states in Africa make systematic efforts to prevent such abuse”.

“Few prohibit accusations. Services for children who have suffered harm and violence related to accusations are few and far between. This area needs urgent attention,” argues the report.

Joan Nyanyuki argues “a comprehensive and coordinated effort by state and non-state actors is needed to uncover the nature, magnitude and impact of violence related to accusations of witchcraft and ritual attacks. This approach will ensure that child protection systems, laws and policies are enhanced to adequately address these forms of violence against children.”

Source: Angola: Cult-related attacks against children still occur in country – report

Also see the following links – Warning: some readers may find the following stories and photos disturbing

How Nigeria’s fear of child ‘witchcraft’ ruins young lives
ALJAZEERA – Marc Ellison, November 14, 2018

‘They accused me of killing and eating my grandmother’: Agony of Congo’s 50,000 ‘child witches’ who are brutally exorcised to ‘beat the devil out of them’
Daily Mail UK / MailOnLine, Nick Fagge, October 19, 2015

Child-witches of Kinshasa
The Eye Of Photography – L’ŒIL DE LA PHOTOGRAPHIE January 2, 2012

‘Saving Africa’s Witch Children’ – June 22, 2009

Saving Africa’s Witch Children (dated June 22, 2009) reporting on how thousands of small children in Nigeria are branded witches. The web page also contains a large number of news reports and articles (2005-2009) including websites of organizations fighting against these cruel and illegal practices.

Africa Map

Angola / Namibia: girlfriend lives in fear after alleged ritual murder

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Egidius Kayangula has been brutally murdered. His mutilated body was found floating in the Okavango river along the border between Angola and Namibia. Reportedly, marijuana played a role in his trip to the border region. However, it has not been confirmed by the police that ‘dagga’ played a role in his violent death.

What we know are the facts: his dead body, when found, missed his eyes, tongue and testicles and he had cuts all over his neck and arms. Was it foul play linked to disagreement over a drug transaction and is the mutilated body just intended to be a cover-up? Or indeed was it ritual murder which cost Egidius Kayangula (35) his life? After all, it is not the first time that reports of ritual murders emerge in this region, see my post dated June 30, 2021.

His girlfriend is in tears over the loss of her boy-friend. Moreover, she is afraid that those who are responsible for her boy-friend’s death may come back to kill her or her children since they may want to eliminate her as a witness to the gruesome crime.  

As soon as more news will be released related to this alleged ritual murder the reader will be informed (webmaster FVDK).

Girlfriend lives in fear after alleged ritual murder

Ester Sindimba fears for her life, since her boyfriend’s alleged ritual killers are still at large

Published: October 26, 2021
By: Petrus Muronga – The Namibian

THE girlfriend of a man whose maimed body was found floating in the Okavango River along the Angolan border last week says she fears for her life and those of their children, as the alleged killers are still at large.

The body of Egidius Kayangula (35) was found floating in the river two days after he and a friend crossed the river into Angola on 9 October to buy alcohol. 

Kayangula’s girlfriend, Ester Sindimba, says prior to the incident, she and Kayangula joined a man known only as ‘Sikongo’ and his girlfriend for a day at the river.

Sikongo drove them to a certain village to collect two bags of dagga, which he confessed to be selling.

“After that, we went to eat lunch and then went to the river. Upon reaching the river, I heard Sikongo’s girlfriend talking on the phone with someone in Angola. My boyfriend mentioned that their drinks were finished, upon which which Sikongo suggested we should order some whisky from the same guy his girlfriend called,” Sindimba says.

She says the merchant was then called, but took a while to deliver the goods. 

Sikongo finally saw a man approaching the beach and suggested that he and Kayangula go to meet the man.

By this time it was dark already, Sindimba says. 

“They didn’t come back, and then Sikongo’s friend said they may have been arrested by the Angolan police. He suggested that we go to a certain bar to wait for them, because it was getting late,” she says.

Upon reaching the bar, Sindimba says Sikongo’s friend received a call from him, saying they were indeed stopped by the police, but have been released.

“When he was back, Sikongo approached me asking where my boyfriend is. I was surprised and asked him where my boyfriend was since they were released together, but he kept saying Kayangula escaped from the police,” she says. 

Upon hearing that her son could not be found, Kayangula’s mother and Sindimba started crying, Sindimba says, as they knew something was wrong.

They went to the river the next day to trace his footprints, but found nothing, she says.

Members of the public finally found Kayangula’s maimed body two days later.

His eyes, tongue and testicles had been removed, and he had cuts all over his neck and arms.

“Now I fear for my life and those of my kids. It seems they wanted me dead so I could not speak about what happened to my boyfriend,” Sindimba says.

Her mother, Josephine Hamatwi, says Sikongo’s girlfriend and her friend allegedly threatened to beat them up. 

The deceased’s family has reported the case to the police and believes it was a ritual killing.

They believe Sikongo’s phone calls should be investigated.

“They have killed him,” Kayangula’s brother Olavi Paulus says. 

He believes the police are not doing enough to investigate his brother’s death.

Sikongo has been detained by the police for questioning, but has since been released.

Deputy commissioner Andreas Shilelo, the head of the police’s Special Field Force in the Kavango East region, says there is a possibility of the Namibian Police collaborating with the police in Angola, but the case should be investigated by the Angolan police first, since the incident took place in Angola.

Source: Girlfriend lives in fear after alleged ritual murder

Luanda – Angola: mother kills her daughter in ritualistic act (2019 article)

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The ritual murder case reported in the article below is the first one related to Angola posted on this site. This is not to say that in Angola no or only a few ritual murders are committed. In fact, little is known about the frequency of ritual or muti murders in this country. The reason for it’s under-reporting is most probably linguistic. In general, events in lusophone countries are only occasionally covered by anglophone and francophone press agencies. This does not mean that nothing noteworthy happens in these countries, on the contrary – as the case below illustrates.

The ritualistic killing took place in the nation’s capital. As described in the article below, in July 2019, a mother (32) killed her 11- year old daughter in a gruesome ritualistic act. I must apologize for presenting the article in Portuguese. Unfortunately, no translation is available though the essential message of the article is clear: a ritual murder was committed. More details will be published on this site as soon as they become available (webmaster FVDK).

Uma criança de 11 anos morreu, na terça-feira, depois de ter sido queimada por uma mulher, de 32 anos, que praticava um ritual de ocultismo, no município de Belas, em Luanda.

Em ritual de ocultismo mulher mata criança de 11 anos em Luanda

Published: July 24, 2019
By: Angola 24 horas

Uma criança de 11 anos morreu, na terça-feira, depois de ter sido queimada por uma mulher, de 32 anos, que praticava um ritual de ocultismo, no município de Belas, em Luanda.

O oficial de informação do comando provincial da Polícia Nacional, inspector Euler Matari, disse à Angop que a mulher levou o menino até a sua residência, por volta das 10 horas da manhã, no distrito da Vila Verde, bairro das Tendas, onde cometeu o homicídio.

Euler Matari disse que a criança ficou queimada quando a mulher acendeu velas vermelhas e brancas e com um liquido inflamável, ainda por se identificar, atirou para o corpo do menino, resultando em morte imediata.

“Momentos depois tentou desfazer-se do cadáver, depositando-o num contentor de lixo, mas fruto de denúncia pública e do trabalho de investigação policial foi possível a identificação e detenção da mulher”, disse Euler Matari.

A vítima não tinha qualquer grau de parentesco com a mulher e a polícia desconhece ainda se a criança morava nos arredores ou não.

Source: Em ritual de ocultismo mulher mata criança de 11 anos em Luanda