by Lisa J. Campbell
The usual American response to encountering a witch is to buy her a drink, and give her your cell number.
On 10 November 2022, Boko Haram kidnapped over 40 women in Borno state in northeastern Nigeria and accused them of witchcraft. Various media reports estimated that between 15 to 26 of the women were then slaughtered.
The order to abduct and kill the women came from a top Boko Haram commander, Ali Ngulde, after a number of his children had unexplainably died overnight. While witchcraft accusations are a common occurrence throughout Nigeria, a mass killing of women under accusation of witchcraft is unusual. This event, a virtual witch purge, is a new development and represents a shift in tactics by Boko Haram as well as an increased threat to women in the region.
A .pdf is at the link
