Amnesty International bemoans surge in albino killings in Malawi

Amnesty International is calling for ritual murders of people with albinism to come to an end after reports indicated sharp increase in violence against the vulnerable group.

The rights group says, attacks against people with albinism increased sharply and gangs are seeking body parts to sell for use in witchcraft.

In a report released yesterday titled: “We Are Not Animals to be Hunted or Sold: Violence and Discrimination Against People with Albinism in Malawi”, the global human rights group expressed its concern that “the unprecedented wave of brutal attacks against people with albinism has created a climate of terror for this vulnerable group and their families” in the southern African nation.

Amnesty was outraged when a two-year-old Whitney was abducted from her bed while she was sleeping in April. Baby Whitney’s skull, teeth and clothes were later discovered in a neighbouring village. Her brutal murder follows that of nine-year-old Harry, snatched from his home in February and found beheaded soon after.