Child Kidnappings in Ivory Coast 'a Very Worrying Phenomenon'

The disappearance of 20 children in recent weeks in Ivory Coast -- raising fears of a wave of ritual sacrifices -- is a "very worrying phenomenon", a government minister said on Saturday.

Ivory Coast needs to face up to this "new type of crime" Anne Desiree Ouloto, the families and children minister, said.

According to police, 21 children had been reported missing in less than two months, with only one of them found alive.

Most of the children, seized in various parts of the country, "were found dead, mutilated, decapitated or without their genitals," police chief Brindou M'Bia told a press conference on Friday

Ouloto said that new measures, such as securing playgrounds, would now be implemented.

Parents will also be urged to keep better watch on their children.

The impoverished west African nation, which has suffered a decade of political and military crisis, is set to hold a presidential election in October.

Rumors circulate widely during election years of kidnappings, notably of albinos, for ritual sacrifices.