Bald men in Mozambique may be in danger of ritual attacks, according to police. Recently, attackers killed five bald men and took their body parts.

Police have arrested two suspects in Milange, where the attacks happened.

Some people believe that a bald man’s head contains gold, said Afonso Dias, a police commander in Zambezia province.

Sadly, people with albinism have also been killed for similar reasons. Just this past week, attackers killed three more men.

According to the BBC’s Jose Tembe in Maputo, police think witchdoctors spread the false idea about gold to trick people into bringing them human heads.

“The attackers act out of superstition and cultural beliefs. Many in the local community think bald men are wealthy,” Commander Dias told reporters in Maputo.

The arrested suspects are two young men, both about 20 years old, according to AFP news agency.

Wealth and fortune

A regional security official, Miguel Caetano, said one victim was beheaded, and his organs were taken. The suspects admitted that the organs were meant for rituals to bring wealth to clients in Tanzania and Malawi.

One survivor of an attack in Malawi said, “I am too scared to sleep.”

This is a tragic and deeply unsettling situation. The killings, driven by superstitions and false beliefs, highlight the dangers of ritual practices that prey on vulnerable individuals.

Similar cases of attacks on people with albinism in East Africa demonstrate how harmful myths fuel violence.

Authorities in Mozambique need to take urgent action to protect those at risk, crack down on those promoting these beliefs, and educate communities to dispel such dangerous superstitions.

International cooperation, especially with neighboring countries like Tanzania and Malawi, is also crucial to addressing cross-border trafficking of body parts for ritualistic purposes.

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