Briefly

KENYA

Mob kills 11 ’witches,’ ’wizards’

NAIROBI — A group of up to 300 young men killed 11 people who were accused of being witches and wizards in western Kenya, in some cases slitting their throats or clubbing them to death before burning their bodies, officials said.

The gang moved home to home through two villages, using a list of witch and wizard suspects and the kind of spells they were thought to have cast on the community, said Ben Makori, a local councilor.

“The villagers are complaining that the [suspected] wizards and witches are making the bright children in the community dumb. These [suspected] witches are not doing good things to us,” Mr. Makori told the Associated Press.

Deputy police spokesman Charles Owino said the gang hunted down the eight women and three men in the western Kenya villages of Kekoro and Matembe on Tuesday night and yesterday morning. Most of the victims were older than 70.

SUDAN

EU officials calls for cease-fire

BRUSSELS — The European Union”s humanitarian-aid chief yesterday appealed to warring factions in Sudan to agree to an immediate cease-fire and withdraw all armed forces from the flash-point oil area of Abyei.

“Sudan faces a stark choice between an escalation of hostilities or working towards a lasting political solution,” said EU Development and Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Louis Michel. His comments came as U.N.-chaired talks to end fighting in the Abyei area in the south, which threatens a three-year peace process, were delayed a day after 22 soldiers were killed.

SENEGAL

Coordinator named for ex-dictator’s trial

DAKAR — Senegal named a top judge yesterday to coordinate the trial of former Chadian dictator Hissene Habre, who is accused of torturing and killing suspected opponents during his 1982-90 rule.

Senegal, where Mr. Habre has lived since his overthrow, was ordered by the African Union almost two years ago to try him in what campaigners say would be the first time that a developing nation has tried someone for human rights crimes committed in another.

CONGO

50 missing after boat sinks

KINSHASA — About 50 people were missing yesterday, two days after a boat sank in Lake Tanganyika, officials said.

The boat was coming from Tanzania and was headed for the Congolese town of Moba.

From staff dispatches and wire reports