5-year-old girl with albinism Djeneba Diarra beheaded in suspected ritual murder in Mali
5-year-old girl with albinism Djeneba Diarra beheaded in suspected ritual murder in Mali
A five-year-old albino girl was decapitated in Mali, kidnapped this month.
Djeneba Diarra slept with her mom and sister in her home courtyard when a group of armed men took her, Agence France-Presse reported.
At about 2 a.m. the abductors stepped onto a wall. As his mom attempted to chase them down but unable to catch them. Finally, she turned back to safeguard her second daughter, who is albinistic well.
Around 400 feet south of Bamako, Mali’s capital, the family lives in the village Fana.
“We’ve been everywhere searching the little girl,” said local teacher Oumar Diakite.
“We found her body beside a mosque, but she didn’t have a head.” Police think the abduction and decapitation was a ritual murder in order to harvest the body components of individuals with albinism, who are said to have magical properties.
Locals in the community are now angry, citing bad safety as the reason for the murder. They took to the streets to show their anger, and witnesses watched the residents set fire to the police headquarters. Shops remained closed as protests continued.
Mamadou Sissoko is an activist and Secretary-General of the Federation of Albino People’s Associations in West Africa.
Sissoko also said that there’s a correlation between political occurrences and crimes against albino people. Sissoko said that “this is a ritual crime and we want justice”.
“We become a prey to those who wish to create ritual sacrifices when elections take place,” said Sissoko, adding, “It’s not the first time this has taken place in Fana.”
He intends to hold the state in charge of the crimes, it is not just Mali. Albinos are hunted for rituals designed to bring riches and achievement in nations throughout Africa – Mozambique, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Malawi. Every year for this purpose dozens of albinos are attacked and killed.
A 2016 Amnesty International report found in Malawi ‘ sharp rise in human rights abuses of albinism people, including kidnappings, murders and serious robbery by individuals and criminal gangs. ‘
According to the study, 18 albinos were murdered, five abducted and still missing, and as of November 2014, there were 69 complete criminal instances with albinos recorded.
The study also showed that extensive country poverty plays a major role in albino offenses. Some individuals believe that they can sell body components of albino to those who believe in their magical properties.
Albinism is an inherited genetic disease that allows skin, hair, and eyes to remain pigmented partially or totally. Albinos are also at greater danger of developing skin cancer and may suffer from eye disease.
A separate UN report said that violence against albinos may disappear forever if it persists.