Vanuatu's acting police commissioner says instances of sorcery-related violence are on the rise in the country.
Aru Maralau says he's finding more cases of people accusing other people of committing sorcery and then undertaking vigilante action against them.
Two people were publicly hanged at the weekend on the island of Akaham after they were accused of being responsible for a number of deaths on the island.
Mr Maralau says while this incident is the worst he's seen, it is not the first time people in local communities have tried to punish people they believed were conducting sorcery.
"Sorcery in Vanuatu is becoming a problem and it looks like other people are accusing other people of conducting sorcery or being sorcerers and it's on the rise."
Aru Maralau says sorcery cannot be proved in court, and anyone who takes such action will be punished.
