Backward Niger? Who'd have guessed?

Retarded news out of Niger today: the mayor of the capital Niamey is on a witch hunt:

'Given the rumor which has been circulating for at least three weeks now of strange apparitions stalking people, notably young women, I have ordered all the elderly chiefs of Niamey to resort to the traditional sacrifices, with qualified people, to stop this curse,' Niamey Mayor Jules Oguet said Monday.

Some local marabouts -- Muslim religious leaders who are often credited with magical powers -- have dismissed the apparitions as conmen trying to extort money from frightened people, but Oguet was taking no chances.

The article also ends in a shocker:

Niger, where the majority of the population is Muslim, is one of the poorest countries on earth.

Gasp! Who could have thought that a country run by people who believe in witchcraft could be one of the poorest on the planet!?

NOW WHERE'S MY BROOM?