At Least 60 People Lynched in Mozambique Over Penis-Shrinking Sorcery Rumors

At least 60 people have been killed by mobs in Mozambique in the past month after accusations that they used sorcery to shrink or steal penises. Authorities said the belief holds that a look, a touch or a handshake is sufficient to cause the effect.

A person is accused, a mob forms and the victim is lynched. The panic started in Cabo Delgado on April 18 and has since spread south to all provinces. Those killed include two teachers, a nurse, a police officer and a municipal official. No victims with shrunken or stolen penises have been found.

A clinical psychologist told reporters that eight men had gone to a hospital complaining that their genitals had shrunk. Medical examination showed that there was nothing physically wrong with them. Two of the men were in a state of panic resulting from their belief in the rumor.

Several hundred people involved in the mobs have been arrested. In Chimoio, Manica, where a teacher was beaten to death, the individual who claimed to have his penis shrunk was taken to a police station. There it was found that his genitals were intact.

Party and government officials up to the president have made statements saying no genitals have been shrunk or stolen and that the reports amount to fake news. A clinical psychologist reported that examinations found no physical evidence to support the claims. The incidents have occurred despite these statements. Police have arrested several hundred people in connection with the mob violence.

Similar rumors have circulated in the past in Mozambique. Local distrust of elites has previously led to violence during cholera outbreaks, with health workers and officials targeted. Anthropological studies have linked such events to broader social pressures including prolonged periods of youth unemployment.