'The crowd shouted that we'd stolen someone's genitals' - deadly rumours spread on social media

More than 80 people have been killed in the mob violence, the BBC finds after gathering data from six African nations. More than 80 people were killed between October 2025 and July this year following false accusations about what is termed "genital theft", the BBC Global Disinformation Unit has found after gathering data from police forces across six African countries [1].

Sources

1. bbc.co.uk · 'The crowd shouted that we'd stolen someone's genitals' - deadly rumours spread on social media Sep 3, 2026

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