Human rights stakeholders have urged the government to self-assess and take appropriate action to ensure those responsible are held accountable for the recent abduction of a two-year-old child named Asiimwe Novath, which occurred on May 30, 2024, in Bulamula Village, Mbale Hamlet, Kamachumu Ward, Muleba District, Kagera Region.
In a statement released by the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) on June 4, 2024, LHRC condemned the brutal incidents against people with albinism in Tanzania and called for the government to ensure that Asiimwe Novath is found and that all perpetrators are brought to justice.
“This incident comes shortly after a ten-year-old child with albinism, Kazungu Julius, was attacked by unknown individuals and slashed with machetes in various parts of his body, leading to severe blood loss,” reads the report presented to the press by the Executive Director of LHRC, Dr. Anna Henga.
The statement highlights that attacks against people with albinism have surged, with children being the primary targets. It recalls that in 2015, in the Rukwa region, a six-year-old boy named Baraka Cosmas was attacked by unknown assailants who cut off his hand. The LHRC explains that despite various individuals being sentenced to death for these murders, such acts continue in Tanzania.
READ MORE: Search for Missing Two-Year-Old Albino Girl Intensifies; Three Detained
The LHRC has called on the government to establish comprehensive protective systems at all levels, from hamlets, villages, wards, districts, and regions, to the national level, to ensure the safety of people with albinism and enable them to enjoy their lives like others in the community.
They have also urged the government to implement the recommendations of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as decided in three cases against Tanzania before the Committee.
Additionally, William Maduhu, a human rights advocate, has urged officials at various levels of government, including the Ministry of Home Affairs, to assess whether they are suitable to continue leading or working in the ministry if they have failed to apprehend the perpetrators involved in the abduction of the child Asiimwe Novati (2).
“It is surprising to see that our police force has been using a lot of effort to track down government critics, various criminals, illegal immigrants, and poachers who kill elephants. The police have boasted about their capability and resources to apprehend suspects. However, the same police, when it comes to the murders of people with albinism, cannot arrest, take action, or apprehend these perpetrators,” said Maduhu.
READ MORE: UN Experts Accuse Tanzania of Abdicating Its Responsibility to Protect People With Albinism
“I want to say just one thing. I strongly urge the Kagera Regional Police Commander (RPC) to reflect on and evaluate whether he is still suitable to continue in his position. Secondly, I urge the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Camillus Wambura, to reflect and evaluate whether he still qualifies to be the IGP of this country. If his citizens are being killed and abducted and he remains silent,” Maduhu added.
In his statement, Maduhu also urged the Parliament to reflect on whether they deserve to be members of the Tanzanian Parliament if, to this day, their citizens are being killed without cause due to barbaric and foolish superstitions, while the Parliament remains silent.
In addressing the incident yesterday, June 3, 2024, Acting Police Commander of Kagera Region, Yusuph Daniel, told The Chanzo that the police force in the region is closely handling the matter—three individuals, including the biological father of the child.
Incidents of the killing of people with albinism have decreased recently, and none were reported in 2023. Despite the apparent calm, the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) issued a warning about the increasing fear among people with albinism following the resurgence of attacks.
Matonyinga Makaro reports for The Chanzo from Mwanza. He’s available at matonyingamakaro@gmail.com.
