Anti-Voodoo Cult Ritual Leaves Five People Dead, Several Critical in Benin
Five people died due to asphyxiation in Benin over the weekend following a religious cult's orders to lock themselves in the prayer room with burning incense and charcoal.
The sect, whose French name translated as the "Very Holy Church of Jesus Christ of Baname," reportedly asked its members to seal themselves in their designated prayer room. They were then instructed to wait until Sunday morning so as "not to be held accountable" shall the world ends.
"With the help of old cloths, we sealed off all of the exits to the prayer room before using incandescent charcoal and incense to prepare for the descent of the Holy Spirit," one of the surviving participants, Yves Aboua, told Reuters while being treated for respiratory problems at Porto Novo hospital on Sunday.
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Reports say that a young woman named Vicentia Chanvoukini, a self-proclaimed God, is the one leading the pack. Her group, which is said to have thousands of members across the West African country, has openly opposed the local voodoo culture. While voodoo is still considerably observed in other countries like Togo, Ghana and Nigeria, Benin actually has it as the nation's official religion.
The cult, which is named after Chavnoukini's hometown of Baname, has had some run-ins with members of other faiths since 2009. Nevertheless, it did not stop the group from performing their activities until this tragedy hit.
As report writing, several people are still being treated in the hospital for varying degrees of health problems, including some who are in critical condition. Meanwhile, others are still waiting for any medical attention. This includes one from the town of Adjarra, five kilometers from the city capital of the country.
