Tanzania albinos say they fear for lives after exhumation

The file photo shows albino children studying at the Mitindo Primary School for the blind, which has become a rare sanctuary for albino children in Tanzania. (Photo by AFP)
Tanzanian albinos said Sunday they were living in fear of their lives after the remains of an albino were exhumed in what they said was a "bestial" and "barbaric" act.

The Tanzanian Albino Society called on President John Magufuli to "intervene personally and denounce this bestial act and provide financial support for programs aimed at eradicating this barbarism against albinos."

In Tanzania and other sub-Saharan African countries, albinos' body parts are sought after for witchcraft practices because they are believed to enhance luck and wealth.

The remains of Aman Anywelwisye Kalyembe, an albino buried in 2015 in the Rungwe district of the Mbeya region in the south of the country, were exhumed and moved by unidentified individuals during the night of April 23 and 24, the society said.

The incident was "fueling fear among albinos and their families," it said in a statement.

It attributed such actions to "superstitious beliefs at a time when we are preparing for (general) elections in 2020."

Tanzania's human rights campaigners say that the number of attacks against albinos is in sharp decline, but their graves are increasingly being desecrated instead and their remains exhumed.

A number of such incidents have been reported in different areas of the country since 2016.

Albinism is a genetic condition that results in little or no production of the pigment melanin, which determines the color of the skin, hair and eyes.