Mozambique: About Shrinking Penises Have Led to 39 Deaths

Maputo — The wave of disinformation alleging that mysterious sorcerers have stolen or shrunk the penises of their victims have led to riots in which 39 people have been killed and a further 74 injured, according to Mozambican Interior Minister Paulo Chachine.

Speaking on Friday, at the opening of the 2026 school year at the Police Sergeants School (ESAPOL) in Metuchira, in the central province of Sofala, Chachine said that 132 people have been detained for their involvement in the rioting and lynch mobs.

The Minister described the situation as "deplorable' and warned that the rumours are spreading panic, distrust and violence, with serious human and social consequences.

Chachine said the rumour had first appeared on 18 April in the northern province of Cabo Delgado. This was the worst affected province, but the disinformation had also spread to Niassa, Nampula, Zambezia and Sofala.

The basic claim made by those who spread the rumour is that there exist people who have the power to make penises vanish or shrink. These "witches' affect their victims through a handshake or by touching them on the shoulder.

There is no evidence for these fantastic claims, but an innocent touch, on a crowded bus, for example, can lead to claims of sorcery and to murderous attacks.

Chachine called for national unity to block the spread of rumours and to avoid new attacks. "We must unite against this evil', the Minister said. "If it prevails, it can endanger our social harmony'.

Cited in the independent daily "O Pais', Chacine stressed that the phenomenon of "witches' who make men's penises shrink, simply does not exist.

The purpose of the rumour, he said, was to "divert the population away from productive work and create foci of social instability'.

"Many innocent lives are being lost because of something that does not exist', he exclaimed.

Chachine urged the police to step up their vigilance and to abort any attempt to spread disinformation that could provoke public disorder. Members of the public, he added, should also denounce anything that could threaten social peace.