Assailants hack albino boy

A 17-year-old boy with albinism is receiving treatment at Holy Family Mission Hospital in Phalombe after unidentified attackers severely hacked him in his hut on Sunday night.

Police have said the victim comes from Mnasi Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Mkhumba in the district.

Phalombe Police spokesperson Augustus Nkhwazi said in an interview yesterday the boy was fast asleep in his hut when the assailants broke in and hacked him with pangas around 11pm.

He said: “The victim cried out for help and well-wishers rushed to rescue him from the ruthless attackers who escaped.”

The attackers left the victim with deep cuts in the head, arms and on the upper part of his left leg.

Nkhwazi said the matter was reported to police who, after rushing to the scene, found the victim lying in a pool of blood.

The victim was taken to Phalombe Health Centre from where he was referred to Holy Family Hospital for specialist treatment.

Nkhwazi said the motive for the attack has not yet been established, but police have instituted investigations into the matter.

Abductions, killings and mutilation of people with albinism have been on the rise in the country in the past months, forcing activists to urge government to establish a special court to mete out harsh sentences to perpetrators.