Mob hacked women to death with axes in Papua New Guinea after accusing her of being a sorcerer and telling her: 'Sorry sister, I guess this is your day to die' 

  • Woman named Mifila was set upon by a group of men wielding large axes
  • Brutally killed her in a remote and mountainous stretch of Enga province
  • Christian missionary said the group also tried to kill two other local women
  • Authorities are now being urged to remove the women for their protection

By John Hall for MailOnline

Published: 23:03 EST, 26 May 2015 | Updated: 07:25 EST, 27 May 2015

A woman has been hacked to death in Papua New Guinea by a mob who accused her of being a sorcerer and told her 'Sorry sister, I guess this is your day to die'.

The victim, known only as Mifila, was set upon by a group of men wielding axes in a remote stretch of Enga province early last week, according to reports by a missionary.

The same group targeted two other women during the attack, taking them captive and holding them in a riverside hut before they were rescued by other locals who heard their screams. The authorities are now being urged to place the two women in protective care for their own safety.

Brutqally murdered: The victim (pictured), known only as Mifila, was set upon by a group of men wielding axes in a remote stretch of Enga province early last week, according to reports by a missionary

Brutqally murdered: The victim (pictured), known only as Mifila, was set upon by a group of men wielding axes in a remote stretch of Enga province early last week, according to reports by a missionary

Amnesty International is calling on the Papua New Guinea government to step up protection of the two women who survived the attack, with locals saying the pair are still very much at risk.

'Papua New Guineas authorities must once and for all bring a halt to attacks against alleged sorcerers and systemic violence against women,' researcher Kate Schuetze said.

'The fact that two other women who only narrowly escaped death last week are at imminent risk means that the government must act now,' she added

In January the three women and their children received death threats and were accused of using sorcery - but police and missionaries convinced the accusers to withdraw.

Local law enforcement officials have not yet commented on the arrests and are believed to have not yet managed to reach the remote area. 

Horror: Sorcery and witchcraft are still practiced in remote villages in Papua New Guinea's highlands

Horror: Sorcery and witchcraft are still practiced in remote villages in Papua New Guinea's highlands

Luthern missionary Anton Lutz, who has been documenting and reporting on sorcery attacks, said Mifila was attacked by a mob on May 18 at Fiyawena, in the Lagaip River valley.

He says a witness told him that moments before the mid-afternoon attack in front of her helplessly outnumbered family, one of the killers told Mifila 'I'm sorry sister, I guess this is your day to die.'

'They believed she was a Sanguma [sorcerer], that she was responsible for deaths and misfortune in their world,' he told AAP. 

Attacks against accused sorcerers, who are mainly women, are increasing in remote parts of Papua New Guinea, and Amnesty says they are often used as a pretext to mask violence against women.

In 2013 PNG's parliament repealed its 1971 Sorcery Act, which allowed for reduced sentences for assaults or murders if the perpetrators said their victim had been committing acts of sorcery.

But Amnesty says the measure hasn't reduced incidents of violence against alleged sorcerers.

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