An anti-witchcraft ritual killed 50 people after being coerced into consuming an herbal brew, CBS News reported Thursday.
Authorities reported that 50 people died after being forced to drink a dangerous herbal mixture, supposedly to prove they were not witches, according to CBS News. This happened in a town in the center of Angola, with deaths occurring in January and February, according to police and local officials. The toxic substance, known locally as “Mbulungo,” is administered by traditional healers. The belief holds that death following ingestion confirms the accused’s guilt in practicing witchcraft.
About 50 people have died in Angola after being forced to drink an herbal potion to prove they were not sorcerers, police and local officials said Thursday. https://t.co/gJnk4ROiAf
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 14, 2024
Luzia Filemone, a councilor in the region, shared the details at the Angola National Radio, implicating traditional healers in the distribution of the lethal potion. “More than 50 victims were forced to drink this mysterious liquid which, according to traditional healers, proves whether or not a person practices witchcraft,” she said, CBS News reported. (RELATED: ‘Under The Cover Of Being Woke’: Fox Guest Compares Cancel Culture To Salem Witch Trials)
The belief in witchcraft persists in several rural areas of Angola, a nation where Catholicism is the predominant faith. Despite the church’s vehement objections, the practice of determining guilt through toxic substances remains prevalent, the outlet stated.
Antonio Hossi, a provincial police spokesperson, voiced concerns over the increasing instances of such practices. “It’s a widespread practice to make people drink the supposed poison because of the belief in witchcraft,” Hossi stated, according to CBS News.
This absence of laws against witchcraft in Angola leaves communities to address these matters through traditional methods, often resulting in fatal outcomes, CBS News reported. In response to the ongoing crisis, religious leaders, including Pope Benedict XVI during a 2009 visit, have called on Angolans to reject witchcraft.