Tanzania's Albino Society (TAS) has accused the government of turning a blind eye to the killing of albinos, after four deaths in the past three months.
In Tanzania, it is widely believed that being albino is the result of a curse put on the family. At the same time, the body parts of albino people are coveted by witch doctors, who believe their body parts (when used in a potion) can make people rich.
Among the recent string of albino deaths, a teacher in the northern town of Arusha has been arrested for killing his own child, who was albino. In addition to the four killings, the body of an albino has also been exhumed-- it was found with its limbs cut off. Old women with red eyes have been killed in parts of Tanzania in the past (after being accused of witchcraft) but according to the BBC report, this is the first time that albinos have been targeted in ritual killings.
With fear in the albino community on the rise, TAS' Christopher Dadenekeye says that witch-doctors must also be arrested. "We need to clear out all these beliefs," Dadenekeye said. There are some 270,000 albinos among Tanzania's population of some 35 million.
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