Modern witch hunts

Witch hunts are a contemporary phenomenon occurring globally, with notable occurrences in Sub-Saharan Africa, India, Nepal, and Papua New Guinea. Modern witch hunts surpass the body counts of early-modern witch-hunting. Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, and Nigeria, experiences a high prevalence of witch-hunting. In Cameroon, accusations have resurfaced in courts, often involving child-witchcraft scares. Gambia witnessed government-sponsored witch hunts, leading to abductions, forced confessions, and deaths.

In Ghana, witch hunting has historical roots, with sanctuaries for victims identified. In the southern regions, accusations tend to remain peaceful, while mass-panics involving media-induced hysteria have occurred. Kenya has a history of witch-hunts, with lynchings reported in the past. Nigeria sees accusations leading to deadly consequences, often considered a form of community service. Tanzania has witnessed intense witch-hunts, with economic strains and exploitation as contributing factors. Zambia experienced witchfinders using a mix of Christian and native traditions.

In India, witch hunts involve accusations against women, often widows or divorcees, leading to violence and sometimes death. Indonesia has a history of superstition and belief in witchcraft, with vigilante witch-hunts reported post-Suharto era. In Nepal, low-caste women are targeted in witch hunts due to superstitions, lack of education, and societal issues. Papua New Guinea experiences extrajudicial torture and murder of alleged witches, driven by jealousy and economic factors. Witch-hunts against children have seen a significant increase in sub-Saharan regions, with estimates of 40,000 child-related witch-hunt orphans in Kinshasa alone.

Most witch hunts today take place in modern sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of ethnographic literature on the subject remains on a local level. Summarizing studies and meta-analysis remain scarce due to the amount of data involved. Max Marwick, John Middleton, Mary Douglas and Lucy Mair were among the first to cover a wider range of witch-hunts. In recent times, Wolfgang Behringer has provided an overview about witch hunts throughout history and continents.

A particularly high prevalence of recent witch hunting has been noted for the DRC, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya and Nigeria. Other states showing ongoing and repeated witch hunts are Malawi, Ghana, Gambia, Benin, Angola and Central African Republic. While some societies suffer at most sporadic and low-level witch-hunts (Senegal, Namibia, Rwanda), the entire Sub-Saharan Africa shows a high prevalence of beliefs in the existence of witchcraft and a considerable prevalence of violent witch hunts. Nonetheless, many if not most ethnic groups believe in the existence of witchcraft but do not or do not normally accuse people of witchcraft. Where accusations occur, accusations do not all lead to violence and can even be used for benefits by the accused person.^{[citation needed]}

Several African states, including Cameroon, reestablished witchcraft-accusations in courts after their independence. From Cameroon, Robert Brain and Peter Geschiere delivered ethnographic accounts on a child-witchcraft scare that tended to remain largely peacefully. After confessions, the accused or self-accused children were rewarded with large amounts of meat to induce a purifying vomiting. In addition, witch doctors have been used as expert witnesses in trials, according to a 1998 study.

In 2017, it was reported that the Cameroonian President Paul Biya had urged citizens to use witchcraft as a means of combatting Boko Haram.

In March 2009, Amnesty International reported that up to 1,000 people in Gambia had been abducted by government-sponsored "witch doctors" on charges of witchcraft, and taken to detention centers where they were forced to drink a poisonous concoction at gunpoint, known as kubejaro. On 21 May 2009, the New York Times reported that the alleged witch-hunting campaign had been sparked by the Gambian President, Yahya Jammeh. The president continued a series of "witch hunts" over the next seven years, in which rural villagers experienced beatings, kidnappings, and forced confessions (after the ingestion of kubejaro, which often made the victims extremely weak or unconscious). Deaths that occurred during the time were due to the side effects of drinking kubejaro, such as kidney failure, or beatings. Later, the Gambian government launched an investigation of these crimes and opened a center to support the victims. A Washington Post report found that many of the victims had received no support or outreach from such initiatives. Many of the victims also still suffer from health problems, such as pains, weakness, and anxiety.