Heartbroken mum hugs her child after IDing the body of his brother, 9, who was BEHEADED by witch doctors
A new report says that at least 18 albinos have been murdered in Malawi because their bones are thought to bring ‘good luck’
A terrified mother clings to her albino son after his twin brother was hacked to death by witch doctors.
Malawian Edna Cedrick had to identify her 9-year-old boy’s severed head after he was violently snatched from her arms in the middle of the night.
The grieving mum is now scared that the savage killers will return for her other son.
People with the rare condition – which causes a loss of pigmentation in the skin – are being murdered in Malawi, South East Africa, because their body parts are thought to bring good luck and wealth.
Speaking with The Associated Press, the 26-year-old described how her child was snatched from his bed while her husband was not at their home in the southern district of Machinga.
She said: "Before I could understand what was happening, they sliced the mosquito net and grabbed one of the twins.
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"I held on to him by holding his waist, at the same time shielding the other with my back."
But as determined Edna courageously held on to her boy, she was struck with a machete to the forehead.
She added: "This dazed me, and I lost hold of my son and he was gone. I shouted for help, but when my relatives rushed to our house, they were gone."
The boy's twin keeps asking where his brother is, but Edna lies and tells him he will return home soon.
Amnesty International has released a report slamming the Malawian police for not stamping out the medieval practice.
London-based human rights charity says at least 18 people with albinism have been murdered in the country since November 2014 – although that figure could be a lot higher with five people still missing.
The report titled ";We are not animals to be hunted or sold" detailed the "steep upsurge in killings" which has left thousands of Malawian albinos fearing for their lives.
The “unprecedented wave of brutal attacks” is also fuelled by a belief that albino bones contain gold and that having sex with people with the condition can cure HIV.
When reporters from AP stopped to talk to a man riding a bicycle, carrying his 3-year-old albino son, he charged at them with a knife.
The man, 31-year-old Razik Jaffalie, later explained he is frightened for his little lad Cassim's safety and has given up his work as a bicycle taxi operator to protect him.
He said: "My life has come to a standstill.
"Anyone who will come to try to snatch my child from me will have to kill me first."
But amid the growing climate of terror, there are positive stories.
Mina Godfrey, a 13-year-old girl with albinism in Machinga district, came top of her class in her latest school exams and hopes to become a lawyer when she is older.
However, she admits that she was almost abducted by a group of men who included her own uncle.
She said: "I was deep in sleep when next thing I realised was that I was outside the house, naked, while heavy rains pouring down on me.
“When I screamed, my uncle grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and I choked."
When she tried to run away, she was tied to a bicycle and taken by the attackers.
She said: "But when we went to the next stop, they untied me to negotiate with the buyer and started discussing before moving away a little bit, giving me an opportunity to run away again.”
Since November, police have also recorded 39 cases where the bodies of people with albinism have been dug out of the ground and carved up.
Malawian authorities say the growing violence comes after neighbouring Tanzania imposed tough measures against such trade in January 2015.
Isaac Maluwa, the officer in charge in Machinga district, said: "In rural areas where these attacks are rampant, we do not have enough police officers."
There are between 7,000 and 10,000 albinos living in terror in Malawi.
Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International's Director for Southern Africa said: "Malawian authorities have dismally failed them, leaving this population group at the mercy of criminal gangs who hunt them down for their body parts.”
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