Malawi cops block protest march by 200 albinos

LILONGWE: Malawi police blocked a protest by around 200 albinos, who marched to the presidential palace to protest the killing and abduction of people living with albinism.

The group, joined by 500 sympathisers, was stopped outside the parliament building, about a kilometre from Kamuzu Palace, where police formed a cordon to stop them on Wednesday.

Malawi, one of the world’s poorest countries, has experienced a spike in violent attacks on people with albinism over the past four years. In many cases, those with albinism are targeted for their body parts to be used in witchcraft.

The Association of People with Albinism in Malawi said they were frustrated by government inertia.

The vigil was aimed at forcing President Peter Mutharika into action.

Mutharika had been travelling to the northern region of the country. Police later allowed the rally to move closer, but the protesters vowed to camp at the palace until he returned.

“We will not leave the state house until the issues that President Mutharika promised have been fulfilled, including ... giving each one of us security alarms,” said the association’s leader Overstone Kondowe.

The alarm gadgets will be linked to police stations and can be activated if an albino is in danger.

The genetic hereditary disorder causes a partial or total absence of pigmentation in the skin, hair and eyes. As a result, albinos often experience eye problems and have a heightened risk of skin cancer.

In a June 2018 report, rights group Amnesty International said since November 2014, there have been 148 crimes reported against people with albinism that have claimed at least 21 lives.

Only 30% of those attacks have been properly investigated, according to official statistics.