The men came wielding bush knives. They wanted to avenge a baby girl, who had died the night before. They said she had been killed by a sorcerer’s black magic, and accused a woman who had encountered the baby that morning.

       They dragged her out of her house, on the outskirts of Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea. They broke her hands, tied them to a pole, and burned her back and her belly with hot metal bars. She survived only because her son alerted the police.

       “He saved my life,” said Korai, 33, describing the attack from last June. Her skin was still scarred and one hand bumpy with an ill-fixed bone. She asked to be identified by only her first name over safety concerns.

       She said of the baby: “I didn’t kill her. I don’t even know what a sorcerer is.”

       Cases like Korai’s are disturbingly common in Papua New Guinea. Though it is hard to know for sure, researchers say that anecdotal evidence suggests such episodes are on the rise in at least parts of the country. They seem to reflect continued widespread belief that evil spirits exist, and that when tragedy strikes, black magic is the cause.

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       Observers say that changes in society are making the violence worse. Papua New Guinea is rich in resources, and foreign investment has increased in the country. At the same time, economic opportunities remain limited for many, creating a tinderbox of frustration, tension and anger.

       Image

       Economic development has been uneven in Papua New Guinea, which is rich in natural resources. On a recent Friday, people shopped at a produce market in Port Moresby.Credit...Andrew Kutan for The New York Times

       The map shows the country of Papua New Guinea, in the Pacific Ocean, north of Australia and east of Indonesia. It also locates the country’s capital, Port Moresby, in the southeast, as well as the cities of Vanimo, and Utai in the northwest.

       Pacific Ocean

       Vanimo

       INDONESIA

       Utai

       PAPUA

       NEW GUINEA

       Arafura Sea

       Port Moresby

       AUSTRALIA

       400 MILES

       By The New York Times

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