Vigilante mobs kill at least five 'vampires' in Malawi

This past week, there has been an eruption of violence in the southeastern African nation of Malawi due to rumors of Vampires over the last month. The scare has led to mob violence and even killings in certain parts of the country, as vampire hunters try to seek out the alleged bloodsuckers among them. This caused a curfew to be imposed by the government and prompted the United Nations to move their staff in the country.

Violence mobs seeking vampires

According to reports from the country covered by the BBC, at least five victims have been murdered by violent vigilante mobs. These victims were believed by the mobs to be behaving like vampires and that they were drinking human blood as a part of magic rituals they were performing.

In a report on the issue seen by Reuters, the United Nations (UN) is saying that these unfounded rumors of vampires seem to have come from Malawi's southern neighbor, Mozambique. From there they spread across the border into the southern districts of Phalombe and Mulanje, although it is unknown what set off the fears initially

Government installs curfew

In response to what has been happening President Peter Mutharika and the government of Malawi have installed a curfew.

The BBC reports that the night-time curfew has been put in place to try to prevent more deaths from taking place. It will halt movement for 10 hours from 7:00 to 17:00 local time.

The office of the President also released an official statement on the matter. President Mutharika has promised to launch a major investigation into these immoral mob killings, saying that the issue is “of grave concern to the entire government.”

Reuters UK is also reporting that President Mutharika told village chiefs to crack down on witchcraft. He also urged suspected vampires to stop terrorizing people, saying “If people are using witchcraft to suck people's blood, I will deal with them and I ask them to stop doing that with immediate effect.”

United Nations moves staff in Malawi

The United Nations said that they have moved their staff out of the two aforementioned southern districts to a safer area of the country due to the mob killings.

The UN, as well as many aid agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), operate in the country.

Malawi is one of the poorest nations on Earth and has low educational standards. Belief in witchcraft and the unnatural is common throughout the country, with a similar spate of mob violence due to rumors of vampires taking place back in 2002.