African News Agency : Welcome

Porto-Novo, 30 Nov - (ANA) - More than 100 graves have been desecrated in a cemetery near Benin's capital, Porto-Novo, police say. The grave robbers cut the heads off the bodies and also stole some internal organs. Correspondents say there is suspicion the crime is linked to extreme Voodoo practices of using body parts in charms. It is the first such incident in the West African nation, where Voodoo is an official religion. A mason alerted the police who found that up to 100 graves had been tampered with overnight. Relatives have been traumatised by the mutilations as most people believe in reincarnation. They fear their loved ones will be reincarnated with body parts missing. Crowds who gathered outside the cemetery believe the body parts were taken by people planning to sell them for use as lucky charms. Voodoo followers - who make up some 40% of Benin's population - believe that all life is driven by spiritual forces of natural phenomena such as water, fire, earth and air, and that these should be honoured through rituals like animal sacrifices.(ANA)