by Chinwe Okafor
There is a myth in Tanzania that parts from an albino brings good luck. Try telling that to a village filled with impoverished people.
Initially, an albino woman was killed and now 6-year old Baraka Cosmas has had his right palm chopped off in a targeted attack in Kipenda village, Rukwa region Tanzania, MSN reports.
Regional police commander, Jacob Mruanda said the boy had been sleeping at home with his mother when a gang of assailants stormed the house late Saturday.
After beating the boy’s mother severally for refusing to let him go, they chopped off the boy’s right palm with a machete and walked out.
There is a high prevalence of albino murders/attacks in Tanzania as some are of the belief that their body parts can bring good luck and wealth and this is the latest in a series of attacks that has plagued the country in the last couple of years.
According to a United Nations expert, attacks on people with albinism have claimed the lives of at least 75 people since 2000.
It’s also reported that albino body parts sell for around $600 (about N119,700) with an entire corpse fetching $75,000 (about N14 million).
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