[h=1]1. Ghanaians ban 'spirit child' killing[/h]
These children were accused of being possessed by evil spirits
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Local leaders in northern Ghana have announced the abolition of the ritual killing of babies born with physical disabilities, who were believed to have been possessed by evil spirits.
"Spirit children" were thought to have been a sign of impending misfortune and given a poisonous drink to kill them.
One campaigner told the BBC that improved healthcare and education meant such beliefs were becoming less common.
Activist Raymond Ayine welcomed the ban, which covers seven towns.
But he said he could not guarantee that the practice had been eradicated from the whole country.
The BBC's Vera Kwakofi says the Kasena-Nankana region, where the ban has been announced, is the part of Ghana where such beliefs are most widespread.
Sometimes, babies born at the same time as a family misfortune were also accused of being "spirit children" and killed.
The "concoction men" who used to give the children the poisonous drink have been given new roles; they will now work with disabled children to promote their rights.
'Barbaric practice'
2.
Satellite images reveal that 2,275 homes were destroyed during a military raid to hunt down militant Islamists in the northern Nigerian town of Baga last month, a rights group has said.