Maputo — At least one person died, and two were injured in rioting in Nicoadala district, in the central Mozambican province of Zambezia, when an angry crowd attacked the homes of "witches" who were blamed for the lack of rainfall in the district.

According to a report in Friday's issue of the Beira daily paper "Diario de Mocambique", the incident took place on Thursday in the Nicoadala locality of Ionge, where the police had to intervene to protect the supposed witches from the wrath of a superstitious mob.

When the police arrested the ringleaders, the crowd turned against them and hurled stones at the police, accusing them of taking the side of the witches. In the ensuing clash, the police killed one of the rioters, and injured two others. Ten policeman were injured, two of them seriously, according to the spokesperson for the Zambezia police command, Ernesto Serrote. 12 of the rioters were detained.

This was not an isolated incident. Two weeks ago, at Mixixine, in the neighbouring district of Namacurra, a mob burnt down the homes of nine people, who had allegedly cast spells to prevent the rain from falling. On Wednesday, at Nanuinho, on the outskirts of the provincial capital, Quelimane, the house of another alleged witch was destroyed.

The Zambezia police are investigating the source of the rumours about witches and poor rains, and have also dispatched policemen into the countryside to persuade the population not to try and solve community problems, which in this case have natural causes, by resorting to violence,.