Two men have been arrested in Zambia, accused of being “sorcerers” responsible for trying to bewitch the president.
Police said they arrested Jasten Mabulesse Candunde and Leonard Phiri in the capital, Lusaka.
“Their supposed mission was to use spells to cause harm,” said President Hakainde Hichilema, according to the police statement released Friday.
Many people in the southern African country believe in witchcraft and live in fear of it.
Police said Mr Candunde and Mr Phiri were hired by Nelson Banda, the younger brother of MP Emmanuel “Jay Jay” Banda.
The deputy was arrested last month on robbery charges, which he denies. He is also accused of escaping in August while waiting to appear in court.
The opposition Patriotic Front (PF) party, led by former president Edgar Lungu, has previously claimed the accusations were politically motivated.
Emmanuel Banda, an independent MP since 2021, was previously associated with Lungu, who lost the presidency to Hichilema that year.
In their statement, police said the deputy's younger brother, Nelson, was “currently on the run.”
Mr Candunde and Mr Phiri were charged under Zambia's Witchcraft Act for “possession of charms”, “professing knowledge of witchcraft” and “cruelty to wild animals”.
The two men were found in possession of “matching charms”, including a live chameleon, police added.
They told police they had been promised more than 2 million Zambian kwacha (£58,000; $73,000) for their “mission”, according to the police statement.
The suspects are in police custody and will appear in court “soon,” police said, without giving a specific date for the hearing. They have yet to publicly comment on these allegations.
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