BURUNDI’S ALBINOS MET EAC LEGISLATIVEMEMBERS AND PETITIONED THEM TOPRESSURISE GOVERNMENT IN THE REGION TO PROTECT THEM FROM MASS SLAUGHERS

News Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo.

WHEN members of the East African Legislative Assembly {EALA } held their regular session last week in the Burundia capita, Bujumbura, they were confronted with a very special and unique problem, which requires their urgent attention..

A team consisting of the Burundi Albino Association led by their President Kazungu Kassim and lobby groups who petitioned the legislators requesting them to prevail upon the governments of the partner states in the East African Community to protect the Albino community from reckless and senseless killings of their members..

The group pleaded with EALA members to put pressures on EAC member countries food every thing within their powers to stop the uncalled mass slaughter of albino in the region. Member states of the EAC are Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. The EALA is the legislative body governing the EAC. It has the elected members from all the five countries.

The Burundi albinos group is working closely with the lobby groups and civil societies in all the five countries to stem rising killings of albinos in the region.

In Tanzania alone close to 42 albinos have died in the past one year in mysterious circumstances, which local people do associate with witchcraft.

The group told EALA members of harrowing tales of the challenges they face as “Albinos citizens” in East Africa.”The spate of albino killings witnessed recently in Burundi, Tanzania, and Kenya was increasingly becoming a major concern of the civilized society in the region. “they said.

A Kenyan EALA member who took part in the encounter told this writer how he was shocked on hearing the version of stories narrated by the Albinos ,The Kenyan legislator, however preferred to remain anonymous. saying he was touched by the stories until he had to shed tears.

The trend, the lobby group said, reflected poorly on the individual governments and impacted negatively to the region’s human rights record.

There is a need for the EAC to consult more with civil society defending the rights of EAC citizens and the rights of the disabled in particular, in order to examine the situation and develop more option for deeper cooperation at the regional levels, “said Mr.Kassim

The killing of albinos in East Africa raised great concern last year. Alleged trades in albinos body parts, believed by some people to have magical power as well as conferring longitivity on the lives of those who use them as talismans or as potions, has been going on for years, But only come into the international limelight in 2007 when the underground industry, which is centered around Tanzania fishermen and traditional healers – left dozens of adult and many children hacked to death.

Slain albinos are typically having their dead bodies being dismembered, wit their heads, limbs and genitals dried or roasted and grinded into powders or hacked into pieces that are sold to clients as protective charms.So the albinos virtually became endangered species like the Rhino and its horns used to be until the animals were almost whipped out of the universe.

.in Tanzania, for instance, over 45 people have died in the past year and in. In Burundi, it is reported that over nine{9} people have died in the five months up to March this year..

Both the UN Secretary General Ban Ki=moon and the American Secretary of State Madame Hillary Clinton have condemned the attacks and termed them as barbaric and primitive.

Last week, news agencies reported that the Burundi Albino Association heaped a lot of praise on Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete’s efforts in trying to contain the killing and for encouraging other EAC partner states to follow suit.

However, the Albino’s organization said that, though considerable progress had been made in the human rights issues in the EAC region, the current killing and the hostility portrayed towards the albino community, showing that the region is still a long way from achieving full respect for human rights.

At the end of the encounter, EALA members donated USD 700 to the albinos association.

Ends

leooderaomoklo@yahoo.com

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Date: Mon, 8 Jun 2009 05:59:20 -0700 [06/08/2009 07:59:20 AM CDT]
From: Leo Odera Omolo
Subject: BURUNDI ALBINOS PLEADS WITH EAC GOVERNMENT TO STOP KILLINGS