A mother of five accused of allegedly practising sorcery had been cut into pieces and burnt to ashes in Kagua area in the Province of Southern Highlands in Papua New Guinea. The alleged burning of the woman by the name of Susan Rote Dickson occurred after she was suspected of killing Elizah Lisa, a local Health Officer using sorcery.
Southern Highlands police commander Superintendent Sibron Papoto told local media that body of Susan Rote Dickson was cut up and thrown in fire. He said Susan was accused of causing the death – through sorcery – of district health officer Elizah Lisa.
Susan is from Tulire village near the Kagua district headquarters.
Papoto said Lisa’s Mirupa tribesmen from Yame, Porane and Mugiri villages apprehended Susan on November 28, after the funeral of Lisa.
He said they tortured her with knives before cutting up her body and throwing the pieces into a fire.
He said police and health workers managed to retrieve some of her body parts and buried them.
Papoto said the Mirupa tribesmen also torched 29 houses, killed two cows and slaughtered pigs belonging to Susan’s relatives at Tulire village.
Papoto condemned the act as barbaric and promised that all those involved would face justice.
He said two men were jailed by the National Court in Mendi for 21 years each for killing a woman they accused of practising sorcery in 2013 at Kumbiyane village in East Pangia.
He said tension in Kagua was high and police were closely monitoring the situation by checking vehicles moving in and out of the district.