Africa: Mysterious wave of kidnappings of albinos rock Madagascar

The rescue albino girl four year old in the southwest Madagascar Last August, he presented the island country’s media with a story that even today goes largely unnoticed: a mysterious wave of abductions and murders of people with albinism.

Authorities found Eliana – that’s the name of the girl – in Tuliare, an area located hundreds of kilometers from her hometown.

The girl’s neighbors celebrated her return. Now Eliana has established a normal life next to her parents, but not all abductions albinos in Madagascar end with a happy ending.

United Nations Children’s FundUNICEF) raised the alarm in March last year when it confirmed the rise in abductions and attacks on albinos Malagasy

Then, UNICEF urged authorities to take “immediate action” to “protect people with albinism”.

But in Madagascar, this is a difficult question that leaves many unanswered questions. The motives for these attacks are not even known exactly.

URBAN LEGENDS AND WITCH

Often news about abductions from albinos they do not reach the authorities or the local media.

According to UNMalagasy security forces recorded at least 45 attacks against people with disabilities from 2020 to the middle of this year albinismincluding abductions, mutilation and murder. Nearly all of the victims were children.

The trends are even more troubling, with attacks doubling in 2022 compared to 2021.

“We don’t have official figures because almost all cases occur in the most remote rural areas and victims don’t usually report them,” said Atsimo-Andrefana (Southwest) Police Director General Willy Martial Ranoarison. told EFE. where more cases of abductions of albinos were found.

This is a problem that, despite its severity, goes unnoticed.

For this reason, a local civil society group decided to take action.

“Our research has allowed us to discover that albinos they are kidnapped for mystical reasons,” Patrick Ramarson, president of civil society organization Atsimo-Andrefana for people with disabilities, explains to EFE.

“According to urban legends, the eyes albinos they enhance the talismans carried by thieves, allowing them to walk unnoticed in front of policemen. In this way, the kidnappers sell their victims to other criminals,” he adds.

When questioned about these findings, Ranoarison dismisses voices that point to the existence of a network that specializes in kidnapping. albinos.

In addition, the policeman points out that many kidnappers decide to release their hostages because they often do not find possible buyers.

POVERTY, FOOD FOR CRIMINALS

The calmness of the police authorities contrasts with the severity of the problem described by local organizations and reports from UN.

This wave of attacks It has reached such proportions that “people with albinism in the most remote areas of southern Madagascar live in constant fear,” said an expert from UN about the rights albinosMuluka-Ann Mythy-Drummond, who visited the country last September.

The researcher defended Atsimo-Andrefana’s civil society findings.

“False beliefs, myths and superstitions that indicate that the eyes of a woman people with albinism They can bring good luck and wealth, which has provoked many attacks, especially against children in the Malagasy south, where poverty is widespread,” Muti-Drummond said.

It comes against the backdrop of a crisis for many Malagasy after a severe drought and several cyclones wiped out the livelihoods of millions in the country’s south.

As of early 2021, more than 1.4 million people in the south Madagascar they have been starving due to lack of water since the World Food Program (WFP) UN.

Without rain and modern irrigation systems, farmers’ efforts were in vain, and ranchers lost many animals due to a lack of green pastures or watering holes.

“Poverty is a breeding ground for the spread of dangerous beliefs, as well as attacks and other harmful practices, in the hope of gaining wealth,” Muti-Drummond said.

UN and civil society groups agree on the importance of quick action.

“Whether it is for people with albinism or people with disabilities, the government is not doing enough. People with albinos are still victims and nothing is being done to protect them,” concludes Ramarson.

Madagascar is not the only country in sub-Saharan Africa where albinos endure persecution.

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights He has collected complaints from at least 28 countries, but admits he does not have enough data to ascertain the extent of the problem.

Anyway, albinos They did not sit idly by and across the continent, from Liberia to Tanzania, created organizations to protect their rights. (EFE)