African albino killings,killings of albino people in Burundi and Tanzania, based on occult practices, have triggered a crisis

African albino killings,killings of albino people in Burundi and Tanzania, based on occult practices, have triggered a crisis,International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies reports

Africa,The killings of albino people in Burundi and Tanzania, based on occult practices, have triggered a crisis involving almost the entire albino population of the two countries, according to a report released today by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

The report, called Through Albino Eyes, says that as many as 300 children and teenagers are now in hiding and stranded in Tanzanian schools for the disabled or in emergency shelters established by the police in Burundi, where they exist in dire conditions.

Thousands more albinos across a huge swathe of countryside – perhaps as many as 10,000 – are unable to move freely to trade, study or cultivate fields for fear of albino hunters in search of body parts and hired mainly by witch doctors and big-money traders.

In the words of one local Red Cross worker, albinos are “hiding in their backyards”, their lives on hold.

The Tanzania Red Cross Society (TRCS) intends to provide health education about skin care, protective wide-brimmed hats, long-sleeved shirts and vocational teaching equipment that will improve chances of finding indoor employment.

Salif Keita, the Malian albino singer and human rights activist said that “even before the killings began two years ago, albino people in tropical Africa suffered an array of afflictions that made physical survival a desperate struggle”.

“These included, above all, needlessly high rates of fatal skin cancer that are the result of their acute sensitivity to sunlight.”

IFRC Secretary General Bekele Geleta described albinism as “one of the most unfortunate vulnerabilities, that needs to be addressed immediately at the international level”.

“Our national societies closest to this tragic story have responded well, and they will continue focusing on areas where they can really add value – like public-health education and anti-discrimination awareness raising.”

The local humanitarian response to the albino emergency last year was largely coordinated by branches of the Red Cross societies in both countries, but urgently needs external support, according to the IFRC’s report.

Peter Mlebusi, the TRCS deputy secretary-general, said the crisis is now essentially fourfold: “It is a health problem because of the skin cancer risk. It is a stigma and discrimination problem in the community. There is also insecurity because of the ‘mythology’ of the wealth that can be generated by selling parts of albino bodies. And, finally, there is a legal issue because of the painfully slow process involved in dealing with the killings.”

“Once these people are identified by our volunteers an expanded Red Cross program will make a huge difference to their lives,” adds Dr. Mohammed.

Most recently, on 21 October, while IFRC was conducting the field research for its report, a ten year old albino boy, Gasper Elikana, was killed by hunters.