Yahoo – AFP,
15 Sep 2015
Blantyre (Malawi) (AFP) - A Malawian teacher suspected of attempting to sell an albino schoolgirl for $10,000 was arrested Tuesday, police said, as the country battles to stop albino killings fuelled by superstition.
An albino
child stands barefoot next to a teammate during football practice (AFP
Photo/Yasuyoshi Chiba)
|
Blantyre (Malawi) (AFP) - A Malawian teacher suspected of attempting to sell an albino schoolgirl for $10,000 was arrested Tuesday, police said, as the country battles to stop albino killings fuelled by superstition.
Primary
school teacher Phillip Ngulube was with the girl when he was arrested in the
northern city of Mzuzu and has been charged with abduction with intent to
murder, police spokesman Maurice Chapola told AFP.
Ngulube was
"caught by police on his way to selling the girl to an alleged Tanzanian
businessman for six million Kwacha ($10,000)," said Chapola, adding it was
likely she would be killed for her body parts.
An albino
child is presented at the "Maison
des Albinos" (Albinos house) in
Burundi
(AFP Photo/Stephane de Sakutin)
|
Albinos
have white skin and yellow hair, a result of an hereditary genetic disorder
that causes the absence of pigmentation in the skin, hair and eyes.
They are
killed regularly in some African countries for their body parts — from genitals
to bones — which are used in witchcraft rituals.
The plight
of people with albinism has worsened in recent years, according to UN and
police figures, with concerns that the October election in Tanzania this year
will prompt more attacks as politicians seek luck at the ballot box.
A complete
albino skeleton is said to be worth as much as $75,000, according to the Red
Cross.
Since a
surge of attacks against albinos in December, the UN estimates that nine have
been killed in Malawi.
In June,
Malawi launched a probe to establish the root causes of albino killings and
identify who buys the body parts in the country and in neighbouring Tanzania
and Mozambique.
The results
of the probe have yet to be published.
Several
Malawians are awaiting trial in connection with albino-related crimes,
including killings, abductions and possession of albino bones.
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