Child sacrifice on rise in Uganda

[debgeisler]

The BBC reports on a disturbing trend combining superstition and greed, as the practice of ritual child sacrifice increases in Uganda. And, of course, people are not sacrificing their *own* children.

In the course of our investigation we witnessed the ritual torching of the shrine of a particularly active witch-doctor in northern Uganda by anti-sacrifice campaigners.

The witch-doctor allowed ceremonial items including conch shells and animal skins to be burned in his sacred grove after agreeing to give up sacrifice.

He told us that clients had come to him in search of wealth.

"They capture other people's children. They bring the heart and the blood directly here to take to the spirits… They bring them in small tins and they place these objects under the tree from which the voices of the spirits are coming," he said.

Asked how often clients brought blood and body parts, the witch-doctor said they came "on average three times a week - with all that the spirits demand from them."

Why would anyone believe that fortunes based on the killing of children would be *good* fortunes? If people gave up one of their *own* arms...or drained *themselves* of blood, I would just shrug and say, "Sure. Whatever."

May they find no joy; may the food rot in their mouths.