A Zambian court has sentenced two men to two years in prison for attempting to use witchcraft to kill President Hakainde Hichilema.

Leonard Phiri, a Zambian, and Jasten Mabulesse Candunde, a Mozambican, were arrested in December 2024 and convicted under Zambia’s Witchcraft Act.

Authorities said the men, believed to be witchdoctors, were found with assorted charms, including a live chameleon, which they intended to use in a deadly ritual.

Judge Fine Mayambu declared the men enemies of the state and rejected their lawyer’s plea for leniency, stressing the seriousness of the offense.

The trial marked the first time in Zambia’s history that witchcraft was allegedly used against a sitting president.

Despite claiming to be traditional healers, the men admitted to owning the charms and expla

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