Over the next seven years, Jammeh directed sporadic “witch hunts” across the West African country of 2 million, a practice confirmed by Gambia’s government. He called the witch hunts “yet another manifestation of [Jammeh’s] superstitious tendencies.”“Hardly any people could question those things,” he said. “The program was mere superstition, and it had no scientific basis.”No one really knows what Jammeh hoped to gain from the witch hunts. Four women, all victims of witch hunts in Sintet, Gambia, in 2009, talk about their experiences on March 8, 2018. (Sally Hayden)In 2009, Amnesty International reported two deaths from kidney failure during the witch hunts that year.

Source: Washington Post May 28, 2018 11:48 UTC