Compiled by: Under the Same Sun
Malawi
March 2016: a 20 year old man with albinism by the name of Namphiri Lang’awa was brutally murdered in Sub Traditional Authority Ndakwela in the district, Malawi. According to police authorities, suspected albino killer businessman Bashir Henery Goba and his gang of assailants who hunt and kill people with albinism are said to be the ones who killed Namphiri with help from the victim’s brother, Thomas Langa’awa, one of Goba’s associates. Delays in the investigation of this and other attacks are due to Officer-In-Charge Assistant Commissioner Macmillan Nyirongo, who has been embroiled in the spate of attacks that has devastated the nation. Nyirongo is currently being investigated by national police head office for allegedly pocketing K500,000 from suspected albino killer businessman Bashir Henery Goba. The issue of the bribe came to light after some junior officers were stopped from pouncing on Goba in relation to the killing of a man with albinism in the district, and the matter was forwarded to the head office who instantly initiated the investigations. A senior police officer who confirmed the investigations to Malawi Punch said “It’s difficult to disclose more details of our investigations right now, but we are making leads.” (Source: Malawi Punch)
April 23, 2016: a 17 year old boy with albinism by the name of Davis Fletcher Machinjiri was murdered in Nambilika village in Traditional Authority Kachere, Dedza district, Malawi. According to Dedza police relations officer Sergeant Edward Kabango, Davis, a standard seven student at Tete primary school, went missing on Saturday when he went to the Tete football ground to watch a game. He never returned home and officers believe that Davis was abducted. Two Malawian men have been sentenced to 25 years in jail for the murder by Dedza First Grade Magistrate Eneta Jiya Banda. According to the Nyasa Times, Vuto Biswick and Emmanuel Robert plead guilty to the charges. The magistrate showed the court gruesome pictures of how Davis Fletcher Machinjiri was butchered by Vuto Biswick and Emmanuel Robert, who then took his body parts to Mozambique to sell. Since then two Mozambican herbalists have also been arrested. Dedza Police Deputy Piblicist Cassim Manda said the arrest of Tafatatha Chithanyula (60 years old) and Madalitso Tafatatha was done after working closely with their Mozambican counterparts in Domwe. The suspects were from Undi Village in Traditional Authority in Angonia, Mozambique. The Malawian Police Officers are in the process of trying to have the Mozambique suspects tried in Malawi. (Sources: Malawi24; News24; AllAfrica)
May 11, 2016: the grave of Spriano Felix was violated and robbed in Msemwe Village, Traditional Authority Simphasi, Malawi. Just a few weeks earlier on April 20, 2016, Spriano had died at the age of 20 from TB according to a medical report issued at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH). Mchinji Police spokesperson Moses Nyirenda confirmed the incident to The Nation saying “We went to the scene with forensic officers from Mchinji District Hospital and discovered that arms, legs and eyes were removed from the dead body. We ordered the reburial of the remains.” University of Malawi (Unima) College of Medicine (CoM) senior lecturer and hematologist Yohane Mlombe said that the culprits risk contracting TB from the deceased body. (Source: The Nation Online)
May 24, 2016: a 38 year old man with albinism by the name of Fletcher Masina was brutally killed in his field in Zintabira Village in Chief Chakhumbira’s area in Ntcheu, Malawi. Ntcheu Police spokesperson Gift Matewere identified the deceased and said “We were alerted by his wife after 5 PM and when we went to the field, we discovered he was in a pool of blood. Private parts, arms and legs had already been removed”. He said the police moved in swiftly after the wife reported the matter to them. Just prior to the attack, the victim had told his wife to go home and prepare food. She told the police in tears that she could not have left her husband alone even though he wanted her to prepare food. (Source: Nyasa Times)
Tanzania
May 24, 2016: the remains of a 7 month old baby boy with albinism by the name of Magufuli Begumisa were stolen from the grave just 3 meters from the family hut where he was buried on January 06, 2016, in Chankonko sub-village of Nyakashenyi Village, Businde Ward, Kyerwa District in Kagera Region, Tanzania. The baby was born on October 26, 2015, to his father Begumisa Isaka (36 – with albinism) and mother Jeniva Vegumisa (30 – without albinism). Magufuli was also survived by Festo, a 3 year old brother without albinism and Asimwe, a 6 year old sister with albinism. The police launched an investigation after they confirmed that Magufuli’s remains had been stolen. The incident has been recorded at the police station as Mabira/103/2016. The Businde Ward authorities have made arrangements to take 6 year old Asimwe to Kitengule Centre, one of the government-designated centers for persons with albinism. They have also advised the family not to return to their home. (Source: UTSS was informed on May 25, 2016, by officers of the Tanzania Albinism Society (TAS) in the Kagara region of the Lake Zone. Between June 4 to 8, 2016 UTSS First Response Team also conducted its own investigation in Kagera seeking further information from the family, police and relevant authorities.)
May 23, 2016: two sisters with albinism by the name of Kulwa Jawilu (5) and Tausi Jawilu (8) escaped abduction, and likely ritual mutilation and death, after assailants raided their home as they were slept with their family in Shilabela sub-village, Bulunde Village, Kalitu Ward of Nzega District in Tabora Region, north-western Tanzania. On that fateful night unidentified men kicked in the door and grabbed the first child they saw, which happened to be Kulwa’s twin sister Doto who does not have albinism. Once outside they realized their mistake and threatened to kill Doto if the parents did not hand Kulwa over. Doto was screaming. Fortunately during all the chaos Tausi hide behind some bags of grain covering herself with a piece of cloth and little Kulwa was not even at home, having spent the night at her grandfather’s house. As the attackers continued to search the house, they kept throwing clothes onto the grain bags. This gave Tausi further protection. In the end the criminals gave up and fled after stealing some valuables and locking the family into their home. The matter was reported to the police and Social Welfare Department of Nzega district and the government has relocated Tausi and Kulwa to a government-designated centre for persons with albinism in Tabora town. The girl’s father said that this was the third attack. In 2013 and again in 2014 some men tried to abduct Tausi but failed when she screamed and the men ran away. During both times, he asked the local authorities to protect his daughters without success. “I am glad that they are now safe in Tabora even though I miss them,” Jawilu concluded. The family has now relocated to another village. (Source: UTSS Tanzania staff was informed about these attacks between the dates of June 4 to 8, 2016, during their First Response Team investigation of another attack in Kagera.)
Mozambique
January 9, 2016, the dismembered body of an adult person with albinism whose identity is unknown was discovered in Chinde district, Zambezia province, Mozambique. According to Radio Mozambique the victim was murdered by unidentified individuals on a farm with the use of a melee weapon. His head was missing along with some other body part. (Source: Verdade; Kanimambo Mission
December 29, 2015, a 3 year old boy with albinism was killed by his father for what appears to be ritual purposes in the district of Murrupula, Nampula province, Mozambique. According to the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM), the father, whose name was not released, is in jail and accused of taking the life of his own son, a crime addressed in the Mozambican Penal Code, article 157, paragraphs b) and g). For this type of offense, the perpetrator shall be punished by a term of imprisonment of twenty to twenty-four years. John of God, a spokesman for the PRM said in statements to the press on the first day of 2016 that a criminal case has been initiated and is at this time following the legal procedures in the district of Murrupula where the crime was committed, but the citizen is still detained in Malema district. (Source: Verdade; Kanimambo Mission.
December 2015: a 70 year old man with albinism by the name of Rosario Juriasse (70) and his wife Anuna Simione (45) who did not have albinism were murdered in their home in the village of Manhungua in the Mecanhelas district of Niassa province, Mozambique. Both an arm and a leg were stolen from Rosario’s body before the butchers fled the scene of the crime. According to Alves Mate, the spokesman for the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) in Niassa province, the heinous crime happened while the couple slept. One of the criminals has been arrested, confessing to the murder and admitting that he committed the crime with 2 accomplices”. (Source: Verdade; Kanimambo Mission (albinism association)
December 2015: a little girl with albinism by the name of Brazilian Lino Alexander was murdered in Tete Province, Mazambique. While people with albinism are commonly attacked in the northern provinces of the country, especially in Nampula, this is apparently the first case reported in Tete province. The kidnapper’s physically overpowered and assaulted the victim’s father and fled with the child. This was done so quietly that the neighbors and family were unaware of it and therefore unable to help prevent the crime and provide relief to the parents. The Diary of Mozambique addressed the spokesman of the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) in Tete, Luis Núdia, and confirmed the abduction of little Brazilian Lino Alexander. He went on to explain that the criminals took the child up into the woods and disappeared but gave assurances that police are making every effort to catch the criminals and recover the child. (Source: macua.blogs.com)
September 2015: a 25 year old woman with albinism by the name of Lidia Carlitos Peter was abducted from her home in the dead of night and later murdered in the administrative post of Muralelo, Malema district, Nampula province, Mozambique. The killers took advantage of the absence of Lydia’s husband to abduct her and take her to a forest, near a cemetery, where she was killed. They removed parts of her body including intestines, breasts, teeth, and hair. According to Lydia’s brother Maurício Carlitos Peter, she also left behind her 2 children ages 6 and 7. Lydia’s 2 brothers, Mauricio and Ricardo both have albinism and since the kidnapping and death of their sister also feel threatened. This case is being handled by the police of Malema, but to date there have been no developments. (Source: Verdade; Kanimambo Mission (albinism association)
August 11, 2015, a 3 year old girl with albinism was murdered in the province of Nampula, Mozambique. Two individuals of Mozambican nationality whose names we were not revealed are in the jail of the District Police Department of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) in Monapo, Nampula province, accused of murdering a three years old girl with albinism. It is assumed that their intention was to use the victim or parts of her body for witchcraft related purposes. The offenders were captured with the young corpse wrapped in a bag along with some garments. (Source: Verdade: Kanimambo Mission (albinism association)
A few days before the news report on December 4, 2015, a 5 year old boy with albinism by the name of Lino Alexander was kidnapped when a group of criminals physically assaulted his parents at night in the Chirodzi area of the Marara district, Tete province, Mozambique. The Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) detained two individuals accused of albino abduction. They had already fled to the districts of Luabo and Milange, in Zambezia. This is the first recorded case in Tete Province; unlike Nampula province where many people with albinism have been attacked and live in panic. In Zambezia, John Mahunguele, provincial commander of Law and Order, said that the arrest of the alleged kidnappers was thanks to complaints from the public. (Source: Verdade; Kanimambo Mission (albinism association), Lisbon, Portugal)
Just prior to the newspaper report on September 3, 2015, a father attempted to sell his 10 year old child with albinism in the province of Gaza, Mozambique. The father reportedly simulated the disappearance of his child and kept her in hiding for the buyers. Days later after realizing that the customers were not going to show up, the accused went to the police station of Bilene Beach in Gaza, to alert them about a hypothetical disappearance of the child. Jeremias Langa, spokesman for the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) in Gaza, told Radio Mozambique that an investigation led to the location, and it turned out to have been the child’s father who took them there. (Source: Verdade)
September 1, 2015, eight people, including two teachers, were arrested in the administrative post of Namialo, Meconta district, in Nampula province, Mozambique. They were accused of involvement in a scheme aimed at kidnapping two citizens with albinism for sale at the price of three million meticais. According to the prosecutor, Christopher Mondlane, the 2 persons with albinism who were to be trafficked were Fania Joao (35) and Samito Wazize (12). A source from the district office of Education in Meconta confirmed with the newspapers regarding the arrest of two teachers. Also the two alleged human traffickers confessed that they were only intermediaries in the “operation” and that the kidnapping was carried out by a third individual. (Source: Verdade)
September 1, 2015, eight people, including two teachers, were arrested in the administrative post of Namialo, Meconta district, in Nampula province, Mozambique. They were accused of involvement in a scheme aimed at kidnapping two citizens with albinism for sale at the price of three million meticais. According to the prosecutor, Christopher Mondlane, the 2 persons with albinism who were to be trafficked were Fania Joao (35) and Samito Wazize (12). A source from the district office of Education in Meconta confirmed with the newspapers regarding the arrest two teachers. Also the two alleged human traffickers confessed that they were only intermediaries in the “operation” and that the kidnapping was carried out by a third individual. (Source: Verdade; Kanimambo Mission (albinism association), Lisbon, Portugal)
During the second week of August, 2015, a young girl with albinism was rescued from abduction in Namitoria, Angoche Province, Mozambique. The parents promptly informed the police of the disappearance of their daughter. According to Provincial Command of the Police in the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) in Nampula, two men, both taxi drivers, were arrested and placed in prison on Friday, August 14, 2015. They were accused of kidnapping a child with albinism, who was allegedly sold to a Nigerian citizen for four million meticais. The criminal’s names are Albertino Antonio (40) and Selemane Saide (50), both residents in the village seat of the administrative post of Chalaua, Moma district, south of Nampula province. Apparently the abduction was orchestrated by two other individuals, both brothers of the victim’s mother. The brothers fled when they realize that the taxi drivers had fallen into the hands of the police. Albertino Antonio, the taxi driver hired to deliver the child to an agreed upon location, said that at the time he did not know it was kidnapping. His mission was to bring the child to Gile district, in Zambezia province, specifically in the areas where there are abundant minerals. According to Gastao de Sousa, district commander of PRM in Angoche, they alerted all subunits and border posts in Zambezia province. The operation led to the neutralization of the two taxi drivers, one of whom confessed to the crime, but at the time of this report the ringleaders were still at large. The child was found in good health and returned to family life on Monday, August 17, 2015. (Source: Verdade)
In the days preceding the newspaper report on June 16, 2015, a 19 year old girl with albinism whose name was not released managed to escape abduction and likely death in the city of Lichinga, Niassa province, Nampula, Mozambique. According to Sérgio Mourinho, spokesman for the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) in Nampula, the victim was taken against her will by three individuals of Congolese nationality who have been arrested. The police believe that it was a human trafficking incident. (Source: Verdade; Kanimambo Mission (albinism association), Lisbon, Portugal)
On April 10, 2015, a 4 year old girl with albinism by the name of Veronica Pedro survived abduction in Namaíta, village of Mucororo, Rapale district, Nampula province, Mozambique. Some unknown criminals broke into the residence of Pedro Patrício Toquira, a 42 year old single mother, and abducted her little girl Veronica. The police report number 100/015, from 09 to 10.04.015, indicates that the kidnapped child was rescued while abandoned in a forest in the district of Murrupula. (Source: Jornaldomingo)
On January 6, 2016, a child with albinism less than 12 years of age was kidnapped in the Chinde district of Zambezia province in the center of Mozambique. The missing child’s father also has albinism. (Source: Folhe de Maputo; Kanimambo Mission (albinism association), Lisbon, Portugal)
In December of 2015 a child with albinism under the age of 10 was allegedly abducted by an unidentified 77 years old man in the district of Macia, in Gaza province, Mozambique. The 77 year old kidnapper has been arrested. According to spokesman Jeremias Langa of the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM), the abductor will have enticed the child, who is also an orphan, and then taken him without the consent of his aunt who he lived with. (Source: Verdade; Kanimambo Mission (albinism association), Lisbon, Portugal)
A few days before the newspaper report on July 9, 2015, a 15 year old boy with albinism by the name of Carlitos Arlindo was abducted in the Murrapaniua neighbourhood of the city of Nambula, Mozambique. According to his uncle, Daniel Lucas, Carlitos had been out with some friends since 4:00 PM but had simply never returned. He also said Carlitos quit school in the 7th grade last year due to discrimination related to his albinism. Sérgio Mourinho, Provincial Command spokesman of Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) in Nampula, confirmed the incident. Carlitos has never been found and it is assumed that his body was trafficked for witchcraft ritual purposes. (Source: Verdade; Kanimambo Mission (albinism association), Lisbon, Portugal)
MISSING & PRESUMED DEAD: On December 17, 2014, a 21 year old man with albinism by the name of Aid Caesar Augustus disappeared after receiving an invitation by some unidentified individuals. This incident occurred on Labour Avenue at the meeting place agreed upon between Aid and the alleged criminals, near the gas station in the area of the Faina in the Mutauanha neighborhood in the city of Nampula, Mozambique. According to Eduardo Caesar Augustus, the father of the victim, the alleged kidnappers had asked his son to meet them with promises of employment at the Beer factory of Mozambique (CDM), which offered 15,000 meticais monthly. Aid’s father was out of town the day of his son’s disappearance but returned and tried to join the case in the 1st Squadron, which had opened a criminal case under number 2857 / PIC / 2014. Since then Eduardo has been advocating his son’s case before the police and the courts to no avail. He has come to believe one of the judges is complicit in this crime. To date there have been no criminal charges. (Source: Verdade)
3 GRAVE ROBBERIES:
On March 26, 2016, the grave of a woman with albinism by the name of Lidia Carlitos Peter was desecrated and robbed in Malema, Nampula, Mozambique. In September of 2015 Lidia was abducted from her home and murdered. Now her remains are no longer in the tomb where they were laid to rest by her family. The corpse was stolen by unknown individuals who are still at large. The relatives discovered this when they went to clean the grave and have a ceremony in her memory. Lidia’s family has reported this incident to the police. (Source: Folha de Maputo)
In the week of November 8 – 15, 2015, the grave of a person with albinism was violated in the family cemetery located in the Anchilo district, about 18 kilometers from the city of Nampula, Mozambique. The Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) in Nampula arrested an unnamed man caught in possession of human bones and charged him with exhuming the bones from the corpse of a person with albinism. Sérgio Mourinho, spokesman for the PRM in Nampula, said the accused citizen confessed to the crime and claimed that he was contacted by someone to search for body parts of an albino. However, the accused did not reveal anything about the alleged mastermind of this crime. This is the first reported assault against people with albinism in Anchilo district since the upsurge of attacks in Nampula province. (Source: Verdade)
In 2011, the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) detained three individuals accused of digging up the bones of a deceased citizen who, in life, was a person with albinism from Malova, in the district of Massinga in Inhambane province, Mozambique. The Commander of the PRM in Massinga, Jonas Feliciano, told Radio Mozambique that the detainees dug up the bones and were preparing to take flight to Chiúre district in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, where the remains would be sold for a few million meticais. The police source added that the accused admitted that the buyer was a businessman of Tanzanian origin. (Source: Verdade)
