News: NO!!! 7 people accused of witchcraft hacked with machetes & burnt to death in Tanzania

Seven people accused of witchcraft were hacked with machetes and burned alive by a mob of villagers in Tanzania, police said.

Five of those killed were over the age of 60, while the other two were aged over 40, according to police chief Jafari Mohamed. 

Mr Mohamed, whose force oversees the country's western Kigoma region, said that 23 people had been arrested in connection with the crimes.

Among those arrested on suspicion of carrying out the killings was the local traditional healer, or witch doctor.

Relatives of the victims said that their family members were hacked with machetes or burned almost beyond recognition.

Josephat John, whose parents were killed in the attack, told Tanzania's Mwananchi newspaper: 'When I returned home in the evening, I found the body of my mother lying 10 metres away from our house, while the body of my father was burnt inside the house.' 

The assault in the village of Murufiti took place on Monday but reports only emerged after police announced the arrest of the suspects.

Mr Mohamed said: 'We are holding 23 people including local leaders in connection with the attack. They will appear in court to face murder charges.'

Belief in witches and black magic remains strong in many parts of Tanzania.

One local human rights group, the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC), has estimated as many as 500 'witches' are lynched every year, based on reports that counted some 3,000 people killed between 2005 and 2011. Many of those killed were elderly women, the centre said.

The group said some are targeted because they have red eyes, which is seen as a feared sign of witchcraft. 

But reddening of the eyes can be caused by the use of dung as cooking fuel - a necessary method in impoverished communities.  

The centre said that many local people believe that witchcraft is behind every misfortune - from infertility and poverty to failure in business.

Past attacks have included a series of bloody assaults against albinos, as well as against young children.

In Tanzania, albinos are killed and dismembered because of a widespread belief that charms made from their body parts bring good fortune and prosperity.