UNSPEAKABLE BARBARITY: Six people accused of witchcraft meet horrific end

July 3, 2025

From CBS News: Six people accused of witchcraft were killed, burned alive, stoned or beaten by a militia in Burundi, a local official told AFP on Wednesday.

The official and witnesses, who all asked for anonymity, said the incident happened on Monday after accusations made by members of the ruling party’s powerful youth movement, known as the Imbonerakure.

The group is described as a militia by the United Nations and rights organizations.

“A group of young Imbonerakure entered the homes of about 10 people accused of witchcraft. They then attacked them,” according to the official from Gasarara Hill, six miles east of Burundi’s economic capital, Bujumbura.

“Six people were killed, two of them burned alive. The others were beaten to death with clubs or stoned with large stones thrown at their heads,” the official said. “It was horrific, unspeakable barbarity.”