The BBC Global Disinformation Unit, gathering data from police forces in six African countries, has found that between October 2025 and July this year, more than 80 people were lynched over rumors of 'genital theft'.
The murders are linked to rumors claiming that a simple pat on the shoulder could shrink a man's genitals or cause them to disappear.
There is no scientific basis for these claims. Misinformation spread on social media is promoting these rumours.
Tanzanian mechanic Boniface Mgala told the BBC his ordeal in April. During that time he was beaten badly because people believed that he was going to steal his genitals.
(Some details in this story may be disturbing.)
"They were shouting that we had stolen someone's genitals. We had no way of escaping because there was a huge crowd," he said.
His experience was similar to the events shown in the videos seen by the BBC.
In these videos, men claim that their genitals, i.e. penis and testicles, have disappeared or shrunk after coming in contact with strangers.
After this the mob demands the alleged accused to return the allegedly stolen thing. Such rumors have increased due to long-standing fears and superstitions.
This is not a new thing in Africa, especially in communities where there is a strong belief in witchcraft. Social media has further increased these fears.
This recent wave of rumors seems to have started in the Democratic Republic of Congo last year. Similar claims had surfaced there in 2008 also.
After this these rumors gradually started spreading throughout the area. These reached Burundi, Zambia and Tanzania as well as Mozambique, Angola, Malawi and Kenya.
Rumors of missing genitals in Zambia first gained momentum in March. At that time a woman was beaten to death. After this this panic spread across the border to Tanzania.
At his home in Mpemba, near Tunduma, a busy Tanzanian trading town near the border with Zambia, Mgala fingers the sickle scar on the right side of his head.
While doing this he recalls his painful experience.
Mechanic Mgala says, "If I had known that I would come so close to death that day, I would not have gone to eat at that restaurant. But we did not know how close death was to us."
He and a friend had gone to Tunduma on April 1 to meet a customer to sell a car. They decided to have lunch first.
Shortly after sitting in the restaurant, a mob dragged him outside.
Two small marks on his chin and a broken tooth are also marks of that incident.
He had become unconscious during the fight. Mgala regained consciousness in the hospital after two days. There he came to know that his friend had been murdered.
Now he lives in his own house with his wife and four children. He walks with a limp and says he also has constant headaches.
He has not been able to return to work at his mechanic shop. However, he says that neighbors and friends have helped him bear some of the expenses for his essential medicines.
On the same day that Mgala and his friend were attacked, commercial photographer and businessman Michael Silavwe witnessed another similar attack in Tunduma.
He said that fear was increasing among people after videos related to genital theft started spreading on TikTok.
He saw people running outside his shop. He says he came to know that a man was being accused and beaten nearby. Later he was set on fire.
"When it was set on fire, police arrived at the scene. Then everyone ran away," 23-year-old Silavwe told the BBC.
A video of the attack, verified by the BBC Global Disinformation Unit, shows a group beating a man. This video has been viewed more than one lakh times on TikTok and Facebook.
In the video, people are demanding the return of the allegedly stolen genitals from the man.
Silavwe said, "Such incidents were increasing continuously and people were getting beaten up."
He said that at that time young people like him were scared. But now they have understood that there is no truth in these rumours.
Asha Steven Mwakilasa, a 50-year-old fashion designer who lives in Tunduma in Momba district, also agrees. "I realized that wasn't true," she says.
But this has not ended his worries. Especially when their husband or son is out of the house. However, she says that the police are now patrolling and for this she is grateful.
Momba district commissioner Elias Daniel Mwandobo told the BBC that local investigations indicated there were deliberate criminal intentions behind some of the incidents.
He said, "Some people had conspired to commit crimes for their own benefit and to spread terror among the people."
Another video recorded in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's largest city, shows a mob dragging a man down a dusty street in a market.
People push, catch and hit him. They are demanding the return of his genitals, while he is pleading his innocence.
The BBC Disinformation Unit has also confirmed similar videos of attacks in Mozambique and Kenya.
Dozens of recordings of mob violence, statements of alleged eyewitnesses, warnings about alleged incidents, comments and videos presented as incidents from different areas are being circulated on TikTok and Facebook.
Many such posts analyzed by the BBC are still available online. These also include some videos showing mob violence.
A Meta spokesperson said, "We are reviewing the content shared. Any content found to violate our policies will be taken action against."
TikTok has not yet responded to the BBC's request for comment.
Mozambique most affected
The most affected country has been Mozambique. The police there had reported in May that 55 people had died within six weeks.
These included a police officer, health workers and government employees.
Mozambique's President Daniel Chapo publicly condemned these widespread rumors and the deaths. He had said that these claims are false. The government has not found any medical evidence to prove that any part of any person's body is missing.
Two health workers were attacked at their home and workplace in April. This incident happened in Cabo Delgado province.
This area borders Tanzania and has been affected by Islamic insurgency for almost a decade.
Health centers in the areas affected by the attacks had to remain closed for several weeks. During this time, officials launched a public awareness campaign to counter these claims.
As part of the health campaign, the government said that some fears may be related to Koro syndrome.
This is a mental illness, which is also known as hysteria related to disappearance or shrinkage of genitalia.
The most recent incidents of violence have occurred in Kenya. There, mobs killed five people in the coastal county areas of Kwale and Mombasa.
After the incidents were first reported in July, Mombasa County Commissioner Mohammed Noor held some content creators responsible.
He said that these people are spreading such claims only to attract more views and attention.
Similar claims prompted mob attacks in Malawi. Eight people died there.
Mechanic Mgala is still recovering from the effects of the attack in Tunduma, neighboring Tanzania. But the mental pain is still fresh.
He says, "When I look back, I still feel a lot of pain. I feel sad remembering the way my friend died without any reason. Because till today I don't know what was happening."
He says, "Suddenly without any reason people start throwing stones at you. And then you lose your life?"
We used AI to translate this article, which was originally written in English. A BBC journalist checked this translation before publication. Learn more about how we're using AI.
