Malawi sees surge in killings of albino people
Many are targeted for body parts said to bring good luck
People with albinism in this southern Africa country are being targeted for their body parts, which are sold to be used in potions by witch doctors.
LILONGWE, Malawi — She is haunted daily by the image of the decapitated head of her 9-yearold son. Police asked Edna Cedrick to identify it after the boy, who had albinism, was snatched from her arms in a violent struggle.
The death in February was one in a recent surge in killings and abductions of people with albinism in this southern African country. They are targeted for their body parts, which are sold to be used in potions made by witch doctors who claim they bring wealth and good luck.
At least 18 albino people have been killed in Malawi in a “steep upsurge in killings” since November 2014, and five others have been abducted and remain missing, according to a new Amnesty International report released Tuesday. The toll is likely much higher because many killings in rural areas are never reported, according to the report. Malawi police also have recorded cases where the bodies of people with albinism have been illegally exhumed.
Malawian police say the growing violence comes after neighboring Tanzania imposed tough measures against such trade in January 2015. The United Nations has reported several killings of albinos in Burundi in recent years as well.
Cedrick recounted her son’s abduction while holding the murdered boy’s surviving twin brother, who also has albinism. In the middle of the night, she said, she woke to the sound of people kicking down her door. Her husband was away.
“Before I could understand what was happening, they sliced the mosquito net and grabbed one of the twins,” the 26-year-old said, tears in her eyes. “I held on to him by holding his waist, at the same time shielding the other with my back.”
When they could not overpower her, one assailant hacked her in the forehead with a machete, she said. “This dazed me, and I lost hold of my son and he was gone. I shouted for help, but when my relatives rushed to our house, they were gone.”
The boy’s twin keeps asking where his brother is, she said. She lies, saying he will return.
Elsewhere in Malawi, a deadly attack targeted 38-year-old Fletcher Masina, an albino father of four. When his body was found, the limbs were missing.
“The macabre trade is also fueled by a belief that bones of people with albinism contain gold,” the rights group says, noting another mistaken belief is that sex with a person with albinism can cure HIV. The report also points out widespread discrimination against people with albinism, including by family members.
President Peter Mutharika has since established a committee to look into the issue, which he called disgusting.