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Albinos to see Kikwete for a guarantee on their safety
2008-05-07 09:20:56
By Zuwena Shame
Albinos from outside Tanzania plan to meet President Jakaya Kikwete to search for practical government interventions into the ongoing vicious killings of their fellows in the country.
Speaking to journalists during a press conference yesterday, the founder of South African Albinism Society, Namasato Mazibuko said: ``We will not leave Tanzania until we meet the President.``
Without disclosing the exact time frame of their plans to meet him, Mazibuko said that the move was meant to press the government to take more profound measures on the barbaric killings of their fellows.
About 25 albinos have been murdered in the country since late last year in acts that have been associated with superstitious beliefs.
``Albinos have the rights to life, that is why we want to see the President to know the fate of our fellows. They are being victimised, threatened and they are not in peace,`` said Mazibuko.
Making her comparison with South Africa, Mazibuko said: ``In my country people do understand the rights of albinos and respect them, but Tanzanians don\'t take this seriously.``
She said that 25 albinos killed since last year was quite a big number and they are here to make sure that the President and his government take a remarkable measures to see that deaths of albinos in Tanzania do not occur.
She added that the government should investigate and find out who the responsible people are in the killing the innocent people, and the motive behind their killing.
Monica Mburu, a Kenyan member of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), advised the albinos to have an umbrella network that would work across the continent.
She suggested for having a Pan-African network that would help them to get their rights of living in peace across Africa.
According to Mburu, the network would involve sub-Saharan African countries, ECOWAS and SADC countries.
``These regional blocks will advocate and fight also for the rights of albinos,`` she said.
adding that they had the support of the United Nations on appreciating the rights of albinos in Africa.
``We are grateful, to be getting support from UN, this will make people realise that albinos have the right to live like other people in Tanzania and Africa in general,`` said Mburu.
On her part, Al-Shaymaa Kwegyir, who is a Member of Parliament, said that the network for albinos in Africa would help them get proper health, education as well as expanding the economy among them.
She said they were drafting a constitution which would help them fight against the killings and the threats albinos they faced in the country.
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