BLANTYRE, Malawi (AFP) -- A court in Malawi has jailed a man after he was accused of casting a spell that blocked rain from falling on his neighbour's field, police said Friday.

The court sentenced Chikumbeni Mwanatheu, 35, to two months in prison with hard labour after he admitted a charge of witchcraft, police spokesman Augustus Nkhwazi told AFP.

Magistrate Lameck Mkwapatira ruled that the suspect "needed to be given a custodial sentence to let the community enjoy peace in his absence and for his own safety."

The poor tobacco-producing southern African country has been experiencing drought since last year.

Belief in witchcraft and magic runs deep in Malawi. The practice is punishable by up to five years in prison and suspects are often killed by mobs.

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