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Lilongwe – A woman living with albinism has been attacked by unknown assailants in Malawi’s Chipita District, Nyasa Times reports.
The victim, identified as 51-year-old Lucia Kainga, was targeted in the early hours of Saturday morning when the attackers, armed with machetes and sticks, attempted to decapitate her and chop off her hands.
Yohane Mfungwe, Lucia’s husband, claimed that the assailants entered the couple’s home at approximately 02:00, after they opened their front door to assist someone they had heard crying for help outside.
“Someone was crying for help at the door of our house. It was when I opened the door to find out what was going on, when I landed in the hands of the four men who attacked both of us,” the distraught man was quoted as saying.
Lucia was rushed to a nearby medical facility soon after the attack.
She lost her right hand.
The attack was the first of its kind in the Chipita District, which recently saw a grave exhumed in search of albino remains to sell on the black market.
Fuelled by a belief that albino body parts bring wealth, attacks on albinos have increased in recent times, leading to the deaths of at least 17 albino nationals in the last two years.
Some of the albino nationals claimed that they were being referred to as “moving cash”.
Malawian President Peter Mutharika recently declared war against albino “terrorists”, claiming that his administration would win the fight. – News24
Online Reporter