False 'genital theft' rumors fuel deadly mob violence across Africa

A mechanic in Tanzania named Boniface Mgala went to a restaurant in Tunduma on April 1st to meet a client about selling a car. He and a friend sat down for lunch. Within minutes, a mob dragged them outside, shouting accusations that he had stolen someone's genitals. The beating was severe enough that Mgala lost consciousness. He woke two days later in a hospital to learn his friend had been killed. The scar on his head is shaped like a sickle. He has a missing tooth. He walks with a limp now and suffers constant headaches. He has not been able to return to work.

Mgala's experience is one of more than eighty documented deaths across six African nations—the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Zambia, Tanzania, Mozambique, Angola, Malawi, and Kenya—linked to a single false rumor that has spread with devastating speed since October 2025. The rumor claims that a simple tap on the shoulder can cause a man's genitals to shrink or disappear. The BBC Global Disinformation Unit gathered data from police forces across these countries and found the pattern unmistakable: men accused of this impossible theft are beaten, sometimes burned alive, by crowds convinced of their guilt.

The rumor is not new to Africa. It is rooted in longstanding superstitions and beliefs in witchcraft that persist in many communities. Similar claims surfaced in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2008. But what is new is the speed and scale of the current wave, which began in the DRC last year and has progressively spread across borders like a contagion. In Zambia, the panic gained serious traction in March when a woman was lynched over the accusation. The rumor then crossed into Tanzania, where it found fertile ground on social media platforms—particularly TikTok and Facebook—where videos of attacks circulated widely, each one lending apparent credibility to the next.

On the same day Mgala was attacked in Tunduma, a commercial photographer named Michael Silavwe witnessed another assault nearby. He saw a man accused of genital theft being beaten and then set on fire. Videos of such attacks have been verified by the BBC and viewed more than one hundred thousand times across social media. In one video from Dar es Salaam, a crowd marches a man down a market street, striking him and demanding he return the genitalia he supposedly stole, while the man pleads his innocence. The videos do not show the rumor spreading in the abstract—they show distressed men claiming it happened to them, crowds responding with violence, and the apparent proof of the accusation in real time.

Mozambique has been the hardest hit. Police there reported that fifty-five people were killed in six weeks in May, including a police officer, health workers, and civil servants. Two healthcare workers were attacked at their home and workplace in April in Cabo Delgado province, a region already destabilized by an Islamist insurgency. Health facilities in the affected areas had to close for weeks. The government launched public awareness campaigns, noting that some of the fears might be linked to Koro syndrome, a mental illness characterized by the false belief that one's genitals are retracting or disappearing. President Daniel Chapo publicly condemned the rumors and stated that the government had found no medical evidence that anyone had actually lost any part of their body.

Kenya saw five people killed in mob violence in the coastal counties of Kwale and Mombasa after the first incidents were reported in July. Malawi documented eight deaths. The Momba district commissioner in Tanzania, Elias Daniel Mwandobo, told the BBC that local investigations suggested deliberate criminal intent behind some of the incidents—that individuals had conspired to commit crimes and incite public panic for their own benefit. In Kenya, a father and son were arrested, pleaded guilty to assaulting a woman they accused of causing men's genitals to disappear, and were sentenced to a year in prison.

What makes this outbreak different from earlier waves of the same rumor is the role of social media. Author Julien Bonhomme, who wrote a book examining how rumors about sex thieves spread and why people believe them, notes that smartphones and social media make rumors spread faster, reach larger audiences, and become harder to control once they begin circulating. Videos shared on platforms like TikTok and Facebook can make unverified claims appear more believable because of their immediacy and visual power. Dozens of recordings of mob violence, alleged first-person accounts, warnings about incidents, and commentary framed as reports are circulating across these platforms. Many remain online. Meta, which owns Facebook, told the BBC it was reviewing content and would take action on violations of its policies. TikTok has not responded to requests for comment.

Some social media creators post warnings urging viewers to be vigilant, though it is often unclear whether they believe the claims or are primarily seeking engagement. Others promote so-called charms said to protect against genital theft. Comedians have parodied the claims through skits. The Mombasa County Commissioner Mohamed Noor blamed some content creators for spreading the claims to boost engagement and attract views and attention, saying such misinformation can easily lead to loss of life. Police have since contained the violence in Kenya and made arrests.

Back in Tunduma, Asha Steven Mwakilasa, a fifty-year-old tailor and fashion designer, has come to realize the rumors are not true. But the anxiety remains, especially when her husband or sons are out. She is grateful that police are now mounting patrols. Boniface Mgala, the mechanic, still carries the physical marks of his ordeal and the deeper wound of losing his friend. He does not know what was happening that day, only that he was suddenly being pelted with stones for no reason, and that his friend ended up losing his life.