Uladi says Malawi should register albinos: Accuses DPP of lips service over crackdown on killings

The opposition People’s Party (PP) has on Sunday tipped the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government to embark on registration campaign on people with albinism as a way of knowing their homes and numbers at the district level in order to provide their maximum security.

According to the PP acting President Uladi Mussa the government is merely doing lip service on long string of murders.

“The DPP government has failed to provide security for people with albinism in the country, this is because of lacking strong strategic plan rather than just making noise,” said Mussa.

He said: “What government should do is to start registering the number of albinos as well as knowing their locations at district level and deployed security personnel temporarily to their nearby areas.”

Mussa argued that unless government knows the number of people with albinism and their respective homes such evil malpractice shall not end.

He further asked President Peter Muthalika to assign the vibrant person to run the Ministry of Internal Affairs rather than the current one – Jappie Mhango.

Mutharika announced a plan to protect the albinos in the country which includes a directive to all the security agencies in Malawi to be on high alert, with the goal of arresting and punishing the perpetuators.

However, Mussa argued that the said security agencies are not found in the rural areas where the  people continue murdering albinos for their body parts.

Ikponwosa Ero, a UN expert on albinism, who visited Malawi recently  said it is ‘an emergency, a crisis disturbing in its proportions’ for people with the condition, who face being killed to be used in witchcraft.

She explained that some people believe their body parts ‘can increase wealth, make businesses prosper or facilitate employment’.

‘Even in death, thy do not rest in peace as their remains are robbed from graveyards,’ she added.

Because of these beliefs, Ero said, there are disturbing financial incentives for people to murder people with albinism. ‘Malawi is one of the world’s poorest countries and the sale of body parts of persons with albinism is believed to be very lucrative.’

The problem extends beyond Malawi’s borders, however. Albino people are also killed for their body parts in several other African countries.