adminLilongwe – A pastor living with albinism in Malawi has stopped serving his congregation, saying he feared for his life, as attacks on albino nationals continued in the southern African country, Nyasa Times has reported.
Clement Dayile, a pastor at the Christ Citadel Church in Mulanje, claimed that he was now living in fear for his safety and felt that he had no choice but to abandon his congregation in order to ensure his own well-being.
“The situation is not conducive for me to be going out to preach. I don’t even go out on longer distances, in fear I will be the next victim,” said the embattled church leader.
Dayile’s remarks came a few days after President Peter Mutharika claimed, during an interview with BBC, that he was “ashamed” of albino attacks in his country.
Mutharika described beliefs surrounding albinos as foolish and ignorant, saying that being in possession of body parts belonging to albino nationals would not gain one wealth.
Edward Chileka Banda, chairperson of the Citizen Alliance, had since urged government to deploy troops from the Malawian army to monitor the situation and ensure the safety of albino nationals instead of protecting trees in the Dzalanyama Forest.
A ban on traditional healers and media adverts for herbalists had also been announced in a bid to reduce albino attacks, Malawi24 reported.
The decision came as a result of a court order granted on Wednesday banning traditional healers from advertising in mainstream media due to a belief that they fuelled superstitions regarding albino nationals.
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