Witchcraft hampers health issues in Chad

DOSSEYE REFUGEE CAMP, Chad, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- A lack of faith in modern medicine resulted in increased violence and unsanitary practices among internally displaced people in Chad.

Josiane Nguerebaye, an official with the U.N. refugee agency, said that refugees “lost their faith in their ability to recover from illnesses and lost faith in modern medicines” after 11 people died from malaria, diarrhea and malnutrition, the U.N. Integrated Regional Information Network said.

The lack of faith in modern medicine resulted in increased allegations of witchcraft, as many of the refugees “recognize both the existence of witches and the role of the traditional healer and exorcist,” a U.N. statement said.

The statements concern the Doseseye camp in Chad, home to more than 5,500 refugees from the Central African Republic.

Members of an ethnic community affiliated with such beliefs attacked a woman for practicing witchcraft after three of her siblings died in an hour.

The U.N. agency organized educational campaigns focused on healthcare and sanitation techniques in response, noting that several of the refugees refused to use potable water supplied by relief organizations out of suspicions of modern medicine.